How it Could Have Been
by The Wicked Yveltal
Summary: Brokenstar was known as the powerful, dangerous and ruthless leader of ShadowClan, but he wasn't always evil. At one time he was Brokenkit, a troubled young cat in ShadowClan, desperate to prove himself. What would have happened if Brokenkit had not rejected Yellowfang's guidance and friendship? Would things have been different? This is how it could have been...
1. Chapter 1: How it Began

**Author's Note: A few of the parts in my FanFiction, especially near the beginning of the story, are going to be based off of the book, _Yellowfang's Secret,_ as this story is about Yellowfang and Brokenstar. However, as the story goes on, I'll be making up my own events that are not related to the actual book, so if you read _Yellowfang's Secret _already, I apologize if the beginning is a bit repetitive for you and I hope you still read my FanFiction.**

**I know that this first chapter is really short, but that's just because its more of a prologue type thing. Later chapters will be quite a bit longer, don't worry.**

**Hope you read, review and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or its characters.**

Chapter One: How it Began

Brokenkit knew he was different from the first moment he opened his eyes.

He heard the whispers, felt the stares, and sensed their disapproval. Everyone was wary around him, even Lizardstripe, the queen who nursed him. They were all wondering something, something that confused Brokenkit. What was it that made them all reject him, see him as different, a stranger? When he felt everyone's hostile, accusing stares, he felt his pelt burn with embarrassment and humiliation. It wasn't his choice to be different! So why should he be blamed?

For a long time, the tiny kit was in the dark. And he was alone; loneliness made all the shame, all the humiliation seem so much worse.

As the whispers began to take meaning, Brokenkit realized what they were asking. "Who is his mother? Why didn't she want him?" And the motherless kit began to wonder the same thing. Every time the words went through his mind, he felt a stab of pain in his little heart.

_I bet if my mother knew me, she'd be proud, _he thought. _She'd know that I'm going to be the best warrior in the Clan!__But she didn't want to know me…__Why?_

Confusion and sadness filled his thoughts. As he got older, Brokenkit wondered about it more. The more he thought about it, the more another emotion began emerge. The same feeling that made him want to claw off the other kits' pelts whenever they teased him about it. At first, he didn't know what it was. But he heard the warriors talking. He heard them bristle about Clan borders, arrogant leaders and most of all, the motherless kit. They were angry.

And Brokenkit realized that he was angry. The thought of his nameless mother began to sear his heart with fury. His thoughts began to change. _Did my mother realize that giving me up has made me hate her?__Would she be surprised if I came back, a strong warrior in search of revenge?_

_Because I will, _he vowed. _I'll make her sorry she left me!_

Only one cat seemed to accept him: the ShadowClan deputy, Raggedpelt. Whenever he saw Brokenkit, Raggedpelt looked proud. The little tabby knew that Raggedpelt was his father, his one and only kin in the Clan. Brokenkit was proud to be the son of the deputy. He looked up to his father more than anyone else ever knew. He wanted to be just like Raggedpelt, proud and strong and fearless. He wanted to lead patrols and thrash WindClan warriors and best of all, command the respect of his own ShadowClan warriors.

_One day, that's who I'll be, _thought Brokenkit. _I'll be such a great warrior, they'll all be sorry that they made fun of me!__I'll banish them from the Clan when I'm leader.__I don't need fox-hearted warriors!__Only the best will be part of my Clan!_

Yes, he would always be different. The absence of his true mother had marked him from the first day of his life as an outcast within the Clan. He would be tolerated, but never fully accepted, unless he could prove that he would make ShadowClan great. He would have to wait, patiently enduring the mocking and taunting in the nursery, until the day he was made an apprentice. Then he could show everyone that he was just as powerful as his father.

And after that day, when he became deputy, and then leader of ShadowClan, he would be different in a good way. The warriors would whisper about his potential, rather than about who his mother was. They would stare at him in admiration, not accusation. They would approve of him and say, "StarClan chose a great leader for ShadowClan."

Yes, they would. Brokenkit would make sure of it.

Nothing could get in his way.


	2. Chapter 2: A New Friend

**Author's Note: If some of the wording seems familiar, that's because most of this chapter was a part from ****_Yellowfang's Secret _****that I changed to be from Brokenkit's point of view. I do not claim to own that part of the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors or its characters.**

**Please read, review and enjoy! :)**

Chapter 2: A New Friend

Brokenkit blinked open his eyes to the dazzling sunlight that streamed through the intertwining branches of the nursery. From outside he could hear the scuffling and mews of laughter of the other kits as they played a game. It only took a quick glance around for the young tom to see that he was the last one up; the rest of the den was empty. _I wonder what game they're playing today, _Brokenkit thought curiously. He scrambled to his paws and shook bits of moss out of his dark tabby fur, before bounding out of the nursery to join his adopted littermates.

As his eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness of the day, Brokenkit looked around the camp. A few warriors were sharing fresh-kill and discussing Clan politics and a hunting patrol was preparing to head out. Brokenkit saw his foster mother sharing tongues with Nettlespot and Ashheart across the clearing. The kit and queen did not acknowledge each other- Brokenkit knew that Lizardstripe did not like him and had no interest in attempting to change her mind.

As he swiveled his ears to listen, Brokenkit realized that the sound of his littermates' game was coming from behind the medicine den. _Let's see if I can sneak up on them!_He prowled across the clearing as he imagined the warrior's would. Stealthy as a shadow, the kit crept toward the boulders that made up the medicine den. He paused behind one of the rocks, a position from which he could clearly see Tanglekit's tail sticking out behind her. _Perfect!_

Brokenkit waggled his haunches and pounced, landing squarely on his target.

Tanglekit let out a yowl of surprise and tried to leap away, only to crash to the ground because her tail was pinned. Runningkit and Deerkit both looked shocked for a moment before they let out _mrrows_ of laughter. "Nice fall, Tanglekit!" crowed Deerkit.

Brokenkit felt a flash of pride as he released Tanglekit's tail. Tanglekit whisked her tail around in front of her and gave it a few protective licks, flattening her ears against her littermates' taunts. "Like you weren't scared," she muttered.

Runningkit shrugged as if he wasn't sure. Deerkit, however, lashed his tail and meowed defiantly, "Of course not! Warriors aren't scared by anything!"

"So, what are you playing?" asked Brokenkit eagerly. He seemed to have gotten their approval for now- maybe they would let him join in.

"Hunting assessment!" announced Runningkit. "I'm the rabbit, Tanglekit's the apprentice- well, Tangle_paw-_ and Deerkit's the mentor. His warrior name is Deerleg. I wanted to name him Deerfang, but nobody else liked that name." He shrugged.

"Can I play?" Brokenkit asked, tail rising hopefully.

His heart sank as the other kits exchanged glances and Deerkit and Tanglekit moved to surround him, fur fluffing up. "Only _real _Clan cats can play," meowed Deerkit loftily.

Brokenkit bristled aggressively. "What did you say?" he snarled. _How dare they say I'm not a real Clan cat! _he thought angrily. _I'll be a better warrior than they could ever dream to be!_

"You heard me," Deerkit meowed, noticing Brokenkit's reaction to his gibe. "We don't want to play with you." Screwing up his nose, he added, "You smell funny."

"Yeah," Tanglekit chimed in. "Every cat says you're a kittypet, like your father."

This was too much for Brokenkit. "My father is _not _a kittypet!" he yowled in outrage, lashing out viciously at Tanglekit, who leaped back neatly to avoid the blow. Clearly intimidated, Runningkit and Deerkit shrank back, much to Brokenkit's savage triumph. _They should be afraid of me!_

"My father is the Clan deputy," he continued. "He's the best warrior in ShadowClan!"

"But who's your mother?" Runningkit asked, and Brokenkit felt the words like a blow to his heart. "Even you don't know!"

_No, I don't, _Brokenkit thought furiously. _But it doesn't matter!__She's no mother of mine, whoever she is!__I reject her!__I have no kin in ShadowClan._

Clearly mistaking his silent fury for defeat, Deerkit joined in again. "Yeah, she could be anyone," he mewed meanly. "A rouge, a kittypet, a _badger_!" He gave a _mrrow _of laughter as if he found this newest insult the best joke yet. "Badger-stinky! Badger-stinky!"

The other two kits joined the chant. "Badger-stinky!" Tanglekit stifled a mew of laughter and Runningkit's eyes danced with amusement. Brokenkit had interrupted their old game; taunting him was simply a new one Deerkit had started up.

Feeling shame and fury sear his pelt, Brokenkit bunched his muscles to pounce on his tormentors and shred them with his claws.

However, before he could spring, a stern and angry voice interrupted. "Enough!"

Brokenkit spun to see Yellowfang, the ShadowClan medicine cat, glaring at his adopted littermates. He blinked in surprise. Why was she interfering with their fights? She wasn't a warrior. How could she know anything about battles?

"Deerkit, Tanglekit, Runningkit, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!" Yellowfang exclaimed. "How dare you treat your Clanmate like this?" Brokenkit felt mingled horror and satisfaction as he saw that Runningkit looked ashamed and the other two merely defiant. _What is she doing!?_ Yellowfang turned to Brokenkit and added, "Brokenkit, come with me." Before he could protest that now the other kits would think he was a coward, the medicine cat swept him away with her tail.

Brokenkit stomped his paws in frustration. "Now they'll think I'm scared of them!" he complained crossly. "I could have beaten them if you hadn't turned up! They're so weak, I don't care if there's three of them and only one of me."

Brokenkit sensed Yellowfang's surprise and felt a stab of annoyance. _Doesn't she get that I have to fight my own battles?_"Well, fighting isn't the answer to everything," Yellowfang meowed gently. "Your littermates need to learn how to behave. I'll tell Lizardstripe and she'll punish them."

Brokenkit's anger was swept away by a fresh wave of horror. He ran in front of Yellowfang and fixed his wide, pleading eyes on her. "Please don't do that," he begged anxiously. "Lizardstripe will only blame me! She doesn't like me; she thinks I'm stealing milk from her kits."

"Of course she doesn't think that!" exclaimed Yellowfang, visibly shocked.

"Yes, she does!" Brokenkit insisted. It was true; he had overheard his foster mother saying those very words to Amberleaf, another warrior she-cat in ShadowClan. He added this out loud to Yellowfang, who looked at him with sympathy. "Nobody likes me," he finished sadly.

"I like you," she meowed in reply. "And so will your Clanmates, once they get to know you. Now, why don't you help me collect all these herbs and feathers and carry them into my den? You're so strong, you probably don't need me to help you!"

Brokenkit felt a sudden wave of affection for the medicine cat, as well as a surge of triumph. At last, someone noticed how strong he was! He puffed out his chest proudly, collected as many feathers and leaves as he could carry—which was a lot—, and bounded enthusiastically into the medicine den. The older medicine cat of ShadowClan, Sagewhisker, was curled up in her nest. Brokenkit sensed her surprise but ignored it and instead paid attention to Yellowfang as the younger medicine cat showed him where to put down all the leaves and feathers he was holding.

"Shouldn't he be playing with his littermates?" Brokenkit vaguely heard Sagewhisker ask her apprentice. Yellowfang made no reply, so Brokenkit answered for her.

"My littermates are stupid," he explained scornfully. "Yellowfang's my friend now."

He didn't notice or care about Sagewhisker's response. "Brokenkit, would you like to help me fetch some clean moss?" Yellowfang asked him.

Brokenkit nodded eagerly. "I can carry more moss than any cat!" he meowed proudly.

Yellowfang and Brokenkit crossed the camp to a place behind the elder's den where moss was growing. They ignored the startled glances of their Clanmates. _Yellowfang doesn't care what they all think about her being my friend, _he thought happily. _She likes me anyway!_

Yellowfang scraped a piece of bark off one of the trees and swept it towards Brokenkit with her tail. "Now you hold the bark so I can peel the moss from underneath," she explained.

"Like this?" he mewed, balancing it on his head.

Yellowfang let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. "Not quite," she meowed, eyes glowing warmly with amusement. "A squirrel might think that you're a tree and try to climb up you."

Brokenkit let out a squeal of laughter. "I'm a tree! I'm a tree!" he mewed excitedly, jumping up and down with the bark on his head until it fell off. He was pleased when Yellowfang made another sound of amusement.

Yellowfang helped Brokenkit gather the moss. Then the two of them bundled it together and carried it across the camp to the medicine den.

_At last I've found a friend in ShadowClan! _Brokenkit thought happily. _Someone besides kin who's proud of me and sees me for who I really am!__Maybe I'll find acceptance here after all!_


	3. Chapter 3: Raggedpelt and Yellowfang

**Author's Note: Here's the update I promised to all of you. I hope it isn't too short to make up for the long wait. (Sorry about that!) I wanted to update sooner, but I just had no inspiration. I mean, I knew what I wanted to write, but not how I was going to write it. Now that I finally finished it, here it is. Hope you enjoy! :)**

**Also, if you like this FanFiction, please check out my new FanFiction, ****_A New Day Will Begin. _****It's a Warriors and Cats crossover, but even if you haven't seen Cats, you can still read it. (It doesn't ruin anything from the play and I think it's easy enough to understand.) Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or its characters.**

**PS: Reviews would be nice. :) And thank you for reviewing if you did on earlier chapters. I'm glad you like it!**

Chapter 3: Raggedpelt and Yellowfang

One sunny afternoon, Brokenkit was searching for tansy with Yellowfang in the pine forest. He lifted his chin and tail proudly as he marched, for it was a rare privilege that kits were allowed out of camp. His adopted littermates were stuck back inside the nursery getting their fur washed by their mother, while he was outside exploring. Lizardstripe could care less where Brokenkit went. He doubted she even knew he was outside of the camp.

"Alright," instructed Yellowfang. "We're looking for a plant with yellow flowers. Keep an eye out for those, okay Brokenkit?"

"Got it," he meowed. He paused. "If I see a squirrel, can I catch it?"

"Squirrels live mostly across the Thunderpath, in ThunderClan's territory," meowed Yellowfang. "I doubt you'll see many here. But if you do, you're welcome to try. We're not on a hunting patrol, so whatever we catch is ours."

"I'll catch plenty of prey," Brokenkit boasted. "I'll catch enough for both of us, and _still_ have enough to bring back for the rest of the Clan!"

Yellowfang let out a mrrow of laughter. "I'm sure you will, my little hunter," she meowed, casting him a fond glance.

Brokenkit took a moment to feel pride in her agreement, before he pricked up his ears, listening for sounds of prey in the foliage. A rustle beside him caught his attention, but he realized it was only Yellowfang's paw-steps beside him. _Focus, _he reminded himself. He blocked out all other sounds, listening for the special ones that would alert him to the presence of prey.

Suddenly the sound of movement several tail lengths away reached his ears. Off to the right! He whirled and pounced into the bushes, his tiny claws piercing something furry.

"I caught something!" he yowled triumphantly.

"That's my tail," said a voice in amusement, and its owner nudged him off. Brokenkit looked up to see that Raggedpelt stood in front of him, whisking his dark tabby-striped tail away. It seemed that he had surprised the warrior on a hunting patrol.

"What are you doing out in the forest?" Raggedpelt asked, tilting his head to the side to regard his son with inquisitive amber eyes.

"Looking for herbs with Yellowfang," he answered proudly.

"Herbs?" meowed Raggedpelt skeptically. "You don't want to be a medicine cat, do you?"

"Of course not!" the kitten scoffed. "I want to be a warrior! I'll be the best warrior in ShadowClan- well, maybe besides you," he amended, looking up at his father's powerful shoulders and impressive battle scars; at this Raggedpelt seemed amused. "I'm just helping out Yellowfang."

"Well, when Yellowfang was a warrior, she said the same thing; that she just wanted to help out and that she was a warrior at heart," meowed Raggedpelt. Brokenkit couldn't interpret the emotion in his voice. It was something like scorn and bitterness, but also a deep regret. "But she ended up being our medicine cat." The warrior studied his son intently. "I just wanted to make sure that didn't happen to you to." There was almost a warning in his eyes.

"Well, we do need a medicine cat," pointed out Brokenkit. "Otherwise the warriors wouldn't be able to fight! But that's for the weaker cats. I guess she just wasn't a fighter herself."

Raggedpelt looked thoughtful. "I suppose not."

"Come on Raggedpelt!" called one of the warriors on Raggedpelt's patrol. Brokenkit couldn't see who it was through the foliage, but he recognized the voice of Foxheart. "There's prey to be caught!" She sounded impatient, as if she expected all the prey to be gone if they didn't go after it in a heartbeat. Brokenkit could imagine her lashing her tail in annoyance at being held up.

"Go on without me," commanded Raggedpelt, waving his tail with an air of authority that the cats of ShadowClan naturally obeyed. "I'll catch up with you later."

Brokenkit heard Foxheart's reply, muffled by the foliage, then the sounds of the patrol continuing on. Raggedpelt turned back to his son, facing the young cat with a sort of renewed interest, as if realizing for the first time that he could see himself in his son. "Would you like me to show you some battle moves?" he asked.

"Right now?" asked Brokenkit, quivering with excitement.

Raggedpelt purred with amusement. "Yes, right now."

Brokenkit felt a thrill of exhilaration. None of the other kittens had even started battle training! Now he would definitely have something to brag about. The thoughts raced through his head, making his heart pound with excitement.

That is, until he heard Yellowfang begin to search for him.

"Where's my helper?" meowed Yellowfang, her voice seeming to increase in volume as she came closer to the bushes. Brokenkit and Raggedpelt froze for a moment and then turned as they heard the leaves crinkle beneath the medicine cat's paws. A heartbeat later, the medicine cat appeared, her shoulders parting the bushes.

She stopped dead once she noticed Raggedpelt standing there. A spark of emotion seemed to pass between them, one that Brokenkit couldn't identify. Their fur bristled and they couldn't seem to break eye contact. Brokenkit looked back and forth between them curiously.

"Your helper?" Raggedpelt demanded, narrowing his eyes as if just realizing that the fact angered him. "What are you doing, teaching Brokenkit about herbs?" he growled, curling his lip. "You have no right to train _my_ son in the ways of a healer. He will be a warrior." His eyes flashed challengingly, as if the gibe were somehow personal.

Yellowfang flinched slightly, as if stung by a wasp. "That isn't your decision, Raggedpelt," she snapped; his words had made her angry rather than hurt her. "You are not yet the leader of ShadowClan. The choice is up to Cedarstar, and Brokenkit himself."

"Just make sure you don't turn my son into a medicine cat," meowed Raggedpelt shortly, before turning abruptly and vanishing into the shadows of the pine forest.

For a moment, Yellowfang stood still, gazing at the spot Raggedpelt had stood. Her eyes were stormy with a mix of emotions, but the ones Brokenkit could see most clearly were fury and frustration. Eventually the medicine cat shook her ruffled gray fur and turned to Brokenkit.

"Come away from there," Yellowfang meowed sharply. "We have tansy to find."

"What was that about?" Brokenkit mewed eagerly, bouncing in front of her. He was too curious and distracted by their strange interaction to be cross about her interrupting his intended battle training with Raggedpelt, or hurt by her sharp tone.

She sighed, suddenly weary. "Nothing you'd understand."

Brokenkit twitched in frustration. He hated that reply! He had a feeling it was always something he _would_ understand and that in reality cats just didn't want to tell him about it.

As if sensing the young tom's aggravation, Yellowfang revised her statement. "Just don't let any cat tell you who you should be," she meowed. "Even if that cat is your father. Raggedpelt has always been one to push others into thinking the way he does. He doesn't seem to realize that sometimes he can be wrong." She sniffed. "Haughty mousebrain."

Brokenkit's eyes stretched wide in surprise. "No cat talks about Raggedpelt like that!"

"Well this cat does!" retorted Yellowfang. For the first time, Brokenkit admired the way this feisty she-cat could stand up to a warrior, even though she was only a medicine cat. Maybe he had spoken too soon when he said that being medicine cat was for the weaker cats. Yellowfang was anything but weak, even if she wasn't a fighter.

They treaded in silence for a while, both thinking.

"Maybe I was a bit harsh," Yellowfang meowed. "But just because Raggedpelt is deputy, doesn't mean that he can't make mistakes. Yes, he's a great warrior and deserves our respect, but he's a cat too. All cats have flaws- they're part of who we are. My point is that you shouldn't ever be afraid of someone because of how respected they are or how strong they are. Just remember that they are a cat, just like you, and you can be even better than them if you try hard enough."

"Is that what StarClan says?" Brokenkit asked, wide-eyed.

"It's what I say," meowed Yellowfang. "And it's the truth. Just remember that."

Brokenkit and Yellowfang walked together in thoughtful silence for a few moments. He was thinking deeply about what she said about him being able to be better than any cat if he tried hard enough. He realized that he was not alone in believing that he could become stronger than any cat in ShadowClan. He was not alone. And that was what mattered.

…

That night, Yellowfang was restless. She tossed and turned in her nest, scattering moss about the medicine den in her discomfort. After a while, she abandoned her attempts to get sleep, figuring that it was hopeless. Her trashing wouldn't accomplish anything besides waking her mentor, who needed the rest to take care of her clanmates.

She crawled out of her nest and padded quietly to the entrance of the den. It was a clear night, the kind when the stars sparkled their brightest and seemed close enough to bat out of the sky with one well aimed swipe of a paw. Yellowfang sat down, gazing up at them. She wondered if they were all watching over her, or if they had abandoned her the moment she broke their sacred code.

The truth was, she couldn't sleep because she was frightened that Brokenkit had guessed that there was something between her and Raggedpelt. He was a smart kit- and it wouldn't take long for him to piece everything together. He knew Raggedpelt was his father; he just didn't know that Yellowfang was his mother. It was better that way, even if Raggedpelt would hate her for it. She had to continue being ShadowClan's medicine cat, and that meant her secret must be kept.

Even more, she knew that Brokenkit would be hurt and angry if he figured out she'd lied to him. He'd be confused about why she'd given him up; he couldn't possibly understand that it was best for the clan. He'd only think that she didn't want him. He wouldn't want to have anything to do with her, and rightfully so because of her choice. The thought made her heart feel heavy. How could she ever guide him along the right path if he rejected her? She wanted nothing more than to prevent Molepelt's prophecy from coming true, nothing more than to save her kit from a dark fate.

Deeply troubled, Yellowfang turned her face to the starlight, searching the constellations for guidance. "Help me, StarClan," she murmured. "I only want to protect my son. Please, don't let him find out that I am his mother. Whatever you think of my sins, do not take them out on him."

The stars were cold and silent.


	4. Chapter 4: Fateful Moments

**Author's Note: To all my reviewers, thank you for your continued support and advice! You guys are the reason I love writing this FanFiction so much! :) And thanks in reply to that kind guest reviewer who didn't leave a name: I didn't know that. :D I'm glad people like this story. **

**Disclaimer: Once again, familiar wording is from ****_Yellowfang's Secret. _****I don't claim to own any part of Warriors.**

**Read, review and enjoy! :)**

Chapter 4: Fateful Moments

Several days later, Brokenkit played outside the medicine den as Yellowfang dried herbs in the sun. He didn't know or particularly care what kind of herbs they were, although Yellowfang seemed interested in telling him about them. Sometimes he feigned paying attention, not wanting to her to think he was ignoring her. Sometimes he batted around a piece of moss, sending it flying into the air. Sometimes he would creep up on the medicine cat's tail and pounce on it.

"Take that, ThunderClan flea-pelt!" he growled now, swiping at a piece of moss with his paw. "That'll teach you to stay out of the ShadowClan camp!"

"Look, Brokenkit," Yellowfang meowed. "These leaves are called borage. They're good for treating cats who have a fever. And this is—"

Brokenkit shook himself. "No offense, but why are you telling me this stuff?" he interrupted. He was getting a bit tired of every cat thinking he wanted to learn about herbs, just because he was friends with the medicine cat. It seemed it wasn't just Raggedpelt who worried that he wouldn't be a warrior. "I'm not going to be a medicine cat! I'm going to be a warrior! Grrr! Watch me pounce!" He wriggled his haunches and pounced, shredding the moss ball into tiny bits with his claws. The dark tabby kit looked hopefully over his shoulder to see if Yellowfang had seen his excellent leap and found her watching him fondly.

Brokenkit was pleased as always when he got Yellowfang's attention. She was often busy with her duties, so it made Brokenkit happy to know he was important enough for her to pause from her work to show him affection.

The warm feeling didn't last for long, however; a moment later, he was distracted by a scuffling noise a few tail lengths away and Yellowfang's ear twitched toward the sound. Both she and Brokenkit turned to see Runningkit crouched there, watching intently as the medicine cat sorted and dried the herbs. "Hi," Yellowfang mewed. "Come look if you want to."

Runningkit blinked in surprise, fur fluffing up in alarm. For a moment he hesitated, but Brokenkit bared his teeth at the other kit from behind Yellowfang's back. _She's _my _friend!__Don't you dare steal her attention away from me after you made fun of me!_With another huge sniff, Runningkit scampered off towards the nursery, clearly intimidated by Brokenkit's show of aggression. The tabby felt a pang of satisfaction. No one could pick on him now!

Satisfied, Brokenkit bounced off to find another moss ball to play with. He checked near the nursery, but there was only a shredded scrap there that the other kits had clearly already worn out. For a moment, he was disappointed, but that didn't keep his spirits down for long. Struck by inspiration, Brokenkit went to check the medicine den's store, sneaking by Yellowfang, who was talking to Nightpelt about something the kitten didn't care about. _I'm sure there's some nice moss in here!_He rooted around until he found a sizable piece, then clawed it free.

Turning back to take it outside, he came face to face with Sagewhisker. The older medicine cat did not look pleased.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, lashing her tail in annoyance.

_Oops!__I've been spotted!_Brokenkit tried to dart around her, but she pinned his tail beneath a snow white paw. "Not so fast, little trouble maker," she meowed. She bustled out of the medicine den, thrusting him in front of her. He could sense sparks of irritation flying off her, but wasn't intimidated. Yellowfang might be a force to reckon with, but Sagewhisker was practically an elder and had never trained as a warrior. She couldn't boss him around!

Yellowfang rose to meet them when they came outside. "Is there a problem?" she asked mildly, regarding the scene in front of her.

"I caught this kit taking moss from the store inside the den," Sagewhisker meowed crossly. "As if we didn't have to work to collect it!"

Brokenkit whirled around and glared at her defiantly. "I wanted some to play with!" he meowed angrily. "You can always get more!" _I bet you don't even collect it yourself!_he thought, bristling at her challengingly. _It's probably the apprentices that do all the work and you just don't want me to have any fun!_

Sagewhisker fixed Yellowfang with a stern gaze, clearly realizing there wasn't much she could do to discipline Brokenkit and expecting her apprentice to deal with him.

"Brokenkit, if you want moss, you know where to get some," Yellowfang meowed, not seeming nearly as bothered as Sagewhisker. "There's plenty behind the elders' den. But please don't take any from our store; it's for our sick clanmates."

_They probably wouldn't care about me if I was sick, so why should I care about them?_ he thought, huffing with annoyance. Nevertheless, he didn't argue with Yellowfang, knowing she was only rebuking him because Sagewhisker had told her to. It wasn't her problem that her mentor was so bossy. There wasn't anything she could do about it.

He turned to go get more moss from behind the elders' den and stiffened; his littermates had tumbled out of the nursery. Spotting him, they bounded across the camp towards Brokenkit, their eyes gleaming with cruel delight. They had always taken pleasure in tormenting him.

"Still hanging out with the medicine cats?" sneered Deerkit, puffing out his chest in a failed attempt to seem imposing. He was smaller than Brokenkit, despite his efforts to appear bigger. "Old she-cats and a sick warrior are the only friends you've got!"

For what they lacked in size, his littermates made up for in merciless gibes. Tanglekit padded forward to join in, until she was almost nose to nose with Brokenkit. "What skills are you learning?" she asked, clearly feigning interest. "How to dry herbs? Ooh, our enemies will be _so _scared!"

"Yeah, I can just hear him in battle!" Deerkit chimed in. "Come one step closer and I'll slap you with this leaf!" Both kits dissolved into _mrrows_ of mocking laughter.

Brokenkit bristled with rage. How dare they follow him here to taunt him? He swiped at Deerkit with claws unsheathed, striking a blow on his nose.

Deerkit let out a yowl of outrage, to Brokenkit's satisfaction. "That hurt!"

"And it serves you right!" snapped Yellowfang, coming to his rescue once again. "Go back to the nursery until you learn how to be nice."

The two kits trailed off, casting resentful glances over their shoulders as they left. Brokenkit glared after them, claws digging into the earth in anger and frustration. It wasn't fair! The other kits were always mean, no matter how much Brokenkit tried to fit in somewhere in the Clan.

"Don't listen to them, Brokenkit," meowed Yellongfang soothingly once they were out of sight. "There's nothing wrong with spending your time in the medicine den."

Brokenkit was torn with indecision. Part of him wanted to whirl on Yellowfang and snap at her that they were right, that he wasn't learning anything useful here, but the other part of him knew that he would be throwing away the only friendship in his life. He didn't want to be alone for the rest of his days because of one rash decision. He knew that even if he did reject Yellowfang the way they were trying to provoke him into doing, they would not accept him into their games. He would be left even more alone in the Clan, still teased, still scorned.

Yellowfang's words echoed in his mind. _Just don't let any cat tell you who you should be._He wasn't going to let anyone decide for him who he was, especially not his enemies.

"I won't let them tell me who to be," Brokenkit replied determinedly. "They can make fun of me all they want, but I won't let them change who I am!"

Yellowfang's orange eyes glowed with pride. "That's right, Brokenkit," she meowed, gently stroking his back with her fluffy tail. "You will not let their teasing bring you down. And for that, you will be a much better warrior than they will ever be."

Brokenkit would remember those words for the rest of his life.


	5. Chapter 5: Apprenticeship

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter! Hope you all enjoy it!**

**To Wood Cats- I completely agree with you! Raggedpelt's just angry with her right now because he sees it as her fault that his son has to go through the same thing he did. (Plus, I wanted to start out on the same page as _Yellowfang's Secret_\- no pun intended! :D) He'll get over it eventually, once he realizes she's just trying to do what's best for ShadowClan.**

**Disclaimer: Once again, part of this chapter is from _Yellowfang's Secret_. I don't own that part, nor do I own Warriors or its characters.**

Chapter 5: Apprenticeship

"Yellowfang! Yellowfang!" Brokenkit bounded into the medicine den. "Guess what day it is!"

It was a sunny morning in the ShadowClan camp, the golden light of day streaming into all the dens and soaking into the pelts of the relaxing warriors. The weather was as bright and cheerful as Brokenkit's mood. The kitten was practically bursting with excitement, leaping around and knocking leaves and moss everywhere as he rushed in to share his news with the medicine cat.

Yellowfang was much calmer, carefully sorting herbs in her den and returning the leaves he scattered to their proper places. "Well, I can see you're dying to tell me, so you might as well spill," she meowed. "Sit still so you don't wreck all my herbs."

"I'm going to be made an apprentice!" he burst out proudly.

"Oh, that's right, it has been six moons," agreed Yellowfang. "It's about time you get to show us all what you can do as a warrior in training."

Several moons had passed with Brokenkit visiting the medicine den every day. His littermates had continued to mock him for a while, but after he had begun to ignore them, they no longer seemed to find taunting him as much fun as it used to be. Brokenkit was grateful for Yellowfang's advice; now that he didn't let them get to him, he wasn't teased anymore. It seemed that the medicine cat had remedies for not only physical ailments, but all sorts of things.

"I'll be the best apprentice!" he meowed enthusiastically. "I'll be so good, I'll get a free pass from changing the elders' bedding."

Yellowfang purred in amusement. "You can try, Brokenkit, but I don't think it will work," she meowed. "Even the best behaved apprentices have to do all their duties." She paused, looking at him with a teasing glimmer in her eyes. "Besides, you're hardly the best behaved kit in the nursery." She indicated the mess he had made of the medicine den with a deliberate sweep of her tail.

"Apprentice," he corrected. "In the apprentice den."

"Soon, but not yet," replied Yellowfang. "Right now, you're still a kit. In fact, you'll always be a kit in my eyes, until you get to be as old as I am."

"Aww, c'mon Yellowfang, you know I'll be the best warrior," meowed Brokenkit. He pounced on top of her fluffy tail, fraying it with his tiny little claws and looking up at her with his best cute eyes.

"If your mentor can put up with you that long," sniffed Yellowfang, whisking her tail away from his claws. Brokenkit wasn't worried. He knew Yellowfang well enough to tell when she was teasing and when she was serious. The medicine cat often masked her affection with briskness.

Brokenkit turned to peek out of the den, his whole body quivering with excitement. "My ceremony is about to start!"

"Then get going," meowed Yellowfang. "You're wrecking my organization. I'll only be able to clean up my den if nuisance-y kits quit coming in to mess it up."

Brokenkit gave a cheeky _mrrow_ of laughter and bounded towards the exit of the den.

"Oh, get back here a moment," called Yellowfang. "I was only teasing you. And you can't go into your apprentice ceremony looking like a burr."

The tabby apprentice-to-be purred and bounded back to sit by his friend. Most kits didn't enjoy being fussed over, but Brokenkit reveled in the attention that Yellowfang poured on him, regardless of what form it took. She began to groom his fur with expert strokes of her tongue. Brokenkit sat still as she neatened the fur on his face, his shoulders, his ears, making him look his best.

"There," she meowed in satisfaction when she was done. Her eyes glowed with pride. "I'll be watching from in here. Go show the world what a great warrior you'll be."

"Thanks, Yellowfang!" he chirped, giving her shoulder a lick. Then he bounded out of the den and into the sunshine of the clearing, joining the warriors as they began to gather in anticipation of the ceremony that was to be held. His heart pounded with excitement and he could barely keep himself from bouncing across the camp. He could hardly wait!

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Clanrock for a clan meeting!" called Cedarstar, leaping up onto the tall boulder.

The kits came forward excitedly, all gazing up at Cedarstar.

The gray-furred ShadowClan leader looked down at them. "Four of our kits have come of age to be apprenticed this moon," he meowed. "It is time for them to learn the skills they need to serve this clan, from now on until they become warriors."

"Deerkit, please come forward," Cedarstar continued, his gaze singling out the largest of the three littermates. "From this day forth, until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Deerpaw. Your mentor will be Cloudpelt." The white warrior stepped forward from the crowd, looking almost as proud as the newly named Deerpaw. "Cloudpelt," added Cedarstar, "you have become warrior despite all the hardships life has given you to face. It is with this perseverance I trust you will pass on your skills to this apprentice."

Mentor and apprentice touched noses, and then went off to stand to the side.

"Deerpaw! Deerpaw!" cheered the clan.

_Wow! _thought Brokenkit excitedly. _I wonder who my mentor will be!_

Next, Cedarstar called forward Tanglekit. "From this day forth, until you earn your warrior name, you shall be called Tanglepaw. Wolfstep will be your mentor. Wolfstep, I trust that you will teach this young apprentice everything you have learned as a warrior of ShadowClan."

"Brokenkit!" announced Cedarstar, after the two touched noses and joined Cloudpelt and Deerpaw at the side of the clearing. "Please step forward."

The little brown tabby stepped forward, his heart pounding with excitement. This was it, the moment he had been waiting for his entire life. It was the first step of many he would take to show his clan he was more than just a motherless kit. He would be a warrior, starting now with his apprentice ceremony. Eventually he would be leader of ShadowClan!

"From this day forth, until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Brokenpaw," meowed Cedarstar, looking down onto the kit. "Nightpelt will be your mentor."

_What? _thought Brokenpaw, blinking in shock. For a moment he thought he had heard wrong, until the black-furred warrior emerged from the crowd. His mentor _couldn't _be Nightpelt! Every cat in the clan knew that Nightpelt was sick. It wasn't fair!

"Nightpelt, you are a dedicated and intelligent warrior," continued Cedarstar, oblivious to Brokenpaw's thoughts. "I know that you will do your best to pass on these qualities to Brokenpaw."

_Yes, your best! _thought Brokenpaw unhappily. _But you're ill!__Your best will never be enough to be a real mentor to me!_

He hesitated a moment, then padded over to Nightpelt and touched noses with him. _I guess Nightpelt will have to do.__But it isn't fair!_

"Brokenpaw! Brokenpaw!" the Clan greeted him, welcoming him into their ranks. Brokenkit's disappointment melted way into warm pride. He felt excitement thrill through him. _So this is what it is to be accepted by your Clan!_

Cedarstar raised his tail for silence once more. "Come forward," he called to Yellowfang, who had emerged from her den to watch Brokenkit's ceremony. The medicine cat walked forward to stand before her leader, to Brokenpaw's surprise. _What's going on?_He swiveled his ears forward attentively to listen to what Cedarstar had to say.

"The last two moons have been hard without Sagewhisker," he began. There was a murmer of agreement from the gathered cats. The older medicine cat had passed away recently, much to the shock of her clanmates. Brokenpaw knew the loss of her mentor had been difficult for Yellowfang; despite never having liked Sagewhisker much, Brokenpaw had sat vigil with his friend. "And I know that within ShadowClan, our former medicine cat will be mourned forever. But the line of ShdowClan's medicine cats will continue with a new apprentice, Runningkit."

_So that's what this is about! _realized Brokenpaw.

"Yellowfang, you have already proven yourself to be a skilled and loyal medicine cat," meowed Cedarstar, much to Brokenpaw's pride. "I know that you will pass on all your knowledge to Runningkit."

"I will, Cedarstar," Yellowfang promised.

He turned to the smallest kit. "Runningkit," ShadowClan's leader continued, "do you accept the post of apprentice to Yellowfang?"

"Yes, Cedarstar," squeaked Runningkit, his voice excited.

"Then from this moment forward, you shall be known as Runningpaw," finished Cedarstar. "And the good wishes of ShadowClan go with you."

"Runningpaw! Runningpaw!" As the Clan cheered, the newly named Runningpaw scampered over to Yellowfang with a sniff and touched noses with her.

"May these new apprentices continue to serve ShadowClan for moons to come," Cedarstar meowed, concluding the ceremony. The leader nodded respectfully to the gathered clan and leaped down off of the Clanrock. Chatter began among the clan as they dispersed for patrols and rest in the sun. The new apprentices and mentors gathered together into a large group, preparing to head out of the camp to show the younger cat the territory.

"Where are we going first?" Brokenpaw asked eagerly.

"I'll be showing Runningpaw the best places for herbs first," meowed Yellowfang. "We'll rejoin the rest of you later."

"Alright," meowed Wolfstep, nodding to the medicine cat. He turned back to the rest of the group as Yellowfang and Runningpaw walked away. The two cats talked excitedly, and Brokenpaw had to squash a flare of jealousy. He didn't want to be a medicine cat apprentice, not in the slightest, but the idea of his friend spending more time with another cat made him resentful. He snapped out of his thoughts as Wolfstep continued, "Perhaps we should start with the WindClan border?"

None of the other warriors had any objections, so they headed off through the forest in the direction of the moor. Brokenpaw felt a pang of satisfaction to see the other apprentices stare around them in awe at the trees and swaps. _I've already been into the forest with Yellowfang, _he gloated silently. _Look around all you want, little amateurs.__I'm far more experienced than you are._

"This hollow is an excellent place to hunt," explained Cloudpelt with expertise, indicating a leafy area off to their left with a sweep of his tail. Brokenpaw admired how well the warriors knew their territory. "And avoid the dip over there; you'll find nothing but foxes."

As they approached the WindClan border, Brokenpaw's fur prickled in anticipation. He flicked his ears forward in a confident posture and puffed out his chest. _I'm a ShadowClan apprentice now, and I'm proud of it!_ he thought. _I won't let any WindClan cat scare _me_!_

However, before they could reach the scent markers, Nightpelt crouched to the ground, coughing violently. Brokenpaw spun, caught between concern and impatience. _Is he alright?__Why does he have to slow us down?__Argh, it isn't fair that he's _my _mentor!_

"Are you alright?" asked Cloudpelt, voicing Brokenpaw's first thought. His blue eyes were troubled as he looked at the younger warrior.

"Just a tickle," rasped Nightpelt. He straightened up, shaking out his pelt. A moment later, he crouched again and let loose another bout of coughing.

"Maybe you should head back to camp," suggested Wolfstep.

"But what about the tour?" complained Brokenpaw. "I wanted to see the territory!"

"The territory can wait," meowed Cloudpelt decisively. "It isn't going anywhere; you can see it tomorrow when your mentor is feeling better."

_He'll never be feeling better! _Brokenpaw wanted to retort angrily, but held his tongue. He had no intention of getting sentenced to the task of cleaning the elder's den on his first day of being an apprentice. Huffing crossly, he turned to look across the forest towards the WindClan border, feeling disappointment and resentment fill him. Was there no way he would not be singled out? First taunting in the nursery, then being friends with only the medicine cat, now having a sick mentor… It seemed that he would always be the odd one out.

_Maybe earning my clanmates' respect isn't going to be as easy as I thought…_


	6. Chapter 6: To be a Hunter

**Author's Note: Here it is, the update you've hopefully been waiting for! This is the point when my story really starts to diverge from the storyline of ****_Yellowfang's Secret _****a bit more, so thank you all for bearing with the slightly repetitive parts at the beginning. There will continue to be some parallels with the super edition, but probably no more direct scenes.**

**Another important thing for those who haven't seen it yet: I added a scene to the end of Chapter Three, as well as a bit more description, so I'd advise you go back and reread the chapter. You don't necessarily need to for the story to make sense, but hopefully it's a nice touch! I'd alsolove to hear what you guys think about how I wrote Yellowfang's point of view (in that scene). Hope you enjoy it, 'cause I plan to do a few more parts from her narration. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or its characters.**

Chapter Six: To be a Hunter

The next morning, Brokenpaw came to Yellowfang's den to tell her about his first day. All the previous evening, the medicine cat had been absorbed with her own apprentice. Brokenpaw added the jealousy prickling beneath his fur to the swirling storm of resentment in his chest. All the bitter feelings from his kit-hood seemed to have returned with a vengeance.

"It's not even fair one bit," he complained to his friend as he stood beside her. Yellowfang was patiently listening to him as she prepared bundles of herbs. "All the other kits got perfectly good mentors, but not me! It's almost like Cedarstar is punishing me!"

Yellowfang sighed, her eyes still on her work. "Cedarstar is _not_ punishing you. He thinks long and hard about each kit's mentor. Believe me; he has a reason for everything he does."

"Yeah, he has a reason all right," muttered Brokenpaw resentfully. "I bet he thought, 'Let's give the most worthless kit to the most worthless warrior.'"

Yellowfang rounded on him, abandoning her careful chores. "That is no way to speak of your elders!" she snapped. Brokenpaw looked up to see if she was teasing, but to his surprise, her gaze was dead serious, and stern as StarClan. "Don't ever say that any warrior is worthless, or any kit, at least not in my presence! I bet that's why Cedarstar apprenticed you to Nightpelt: to teach you some respect!"

Brokenpaw stared at her in amazement. She'd never once talked to him like that, not ever. He'd known she had a sharp tongue, and she often teased, but never before had he seen such anger come out of her, especially not directed at him. His words must have deeply affected her in some way, perhaps reopened some sore wound. Whatever the cause, Brokenpaw knew one thing: he never wanted to have her scold him like this again.

"Sorry, Yellowfang," he meowed meekly, ducking his head and hoping she could see that he was genuinely ashamed. It didn't really change his opinion of Nightpelt, but next time, he wouldn't be so openly disrespectful of his clanmates.

"It's alright," she sniffed, returning her attention to her task. She swung her tail briskly around to settle in front of her, curled neatly around her paws. "But remember, Nightpelt can teach you many things, even if you wouldn't expect it from looking at him."

_I certainly hope so; right now it doesn't seem like he can do me any good, _Brokenpaw thought, but held his tongue. He didn't want to provoke Yellowfang again.

"Besides," Yellowfang mewed, sounding far more friendly, "being sent back to camp in the middle of a tour is hardly the worst thing that could happen. I almost missed out on seeing the territory myself, when I was an apprentice!"

"Really?" asked Brokenpaw, feeling a little more hopeful.

"That's right!" purred Yellowfang. "I had a sudden bellyache right before we left camp! Luckily, it subsided after a few heartbeats and I didn't get sent to the medicine den."

"But now you're a medicine cat," meowed Brokenpaw, genuinely curious. "How did you end up becoming Sagewhisker's apprentice if you started out as a warrior?"

Yellowfang opened her mouth to answer, but hesitated as she realized she had run out of leaves to wrap the bundles of herbs in. "In a moment, Brokenpaw," she meowed, waving her tail at him. She turned to call over her shoulder to her apprentice, who was waiting at a distance to be helpful. "Can you bring me some more of those large leaves we collected, Runningpaw? They should be at the back, right next to the moss store."

"I'll get it," meowed Brokenpaw, getting to his paws and shooting a glare at Runningpaw behind her back. He may not have wanted to be a medicine cat, but he wasn't going to stand by as Runningpaw replaced him as Yellowfang's helper. The gray and white tom was already heading towards the back of the den. Brokenpaw narrowed his eyes and strode over, his longer legs helping him catch up to the medicine cat apprentice. He reached the store at the same time as Runningpaw. For a moment, the two apprentices stood across from each other, silently facing off—Brokenpaw glaring menacingly, Runningpaw standing, nervous yet determined. Brokenpaw grabbed the leaves in his jaws, shouldered Runningpaw aside and bounded back over to Yellowfang. He was aware of Runningpaw circling fretfully behind him and felt a pang of satisfaction. _That'll show him who's boss!_

"I got the leaves," he mewed innocently, feeling cheerful.

"Thank you, Brokenpaw," meowed Yellowfang kindly. She glanced to her right, where Runningpaw was hovering anxiously, looking as if he wanted to say something, but didn't have the nerve to. "Runningpaw, the elders could probably use some freshkill. It'd be a great help if you could go bring them some; I'm sure they'd really appreciate it."

Looking grateful, Runningpaw scampered off to do as he was told. Brokenpaw snickered silently after him, triumphant at this small victory.

His moment was quickly spoiled as Nightpelt poked his dark head into the medicine den. "Is Brokenpaw in here, Yellowfang?" he asked, dipping his head respectfully. "I've come to borrow him for training."

"Yes," replied Brokepaw sullenly. He leaned over and touched his nose affectionately to his friend's ear. "See you later, Yellowfang," he mewed, before bounding after his mentor.

For a few moments, the black tom and dark tabby walked across the camp together in silence. Brokenpaw flicked his tail gloomily and, trying to keep the resentment out of his voice as Yellowfang's words rang in his ears, asked, "What are we doing today?"

"I was thinking we'll start with hunting," Nightpelt meowed.

Brokenpaw stopped and stared at him in dismay. "Hunting?" he echoed. "But I want to do _battle training, _not some stupid chores! I want to be a _real_ warrior!"

"Every cat has to start at the basics," Nightpelt meowed firmly, his gaze straight ahead. He didn't stop walking or otherwise acknowledge his apprentice's protest. Brokenpaw's pelt prickled once again with dislike as he resumed following the dark tom.

They padded quietly through the forest. Shafts of sunlight pierced through the pine trees, illuminating the otherwise gloomy swampland. However, Brokenpaw was feeling too bad-tempered to appreciate the beauty of the scenery. He hardly paid any mind to where they were going, keeping his head down. He only glanced up every so often to make sure he wasn't about to tread on Nightpelt's tail; other than that, he kept his gaze on the ground in a scowl.

"We're here," meowed Nightpelt, flicking his tail. Brokenpaw straightened up and looked around. They had arrived in a small clearing with sandy ground—one of the few places in the territory that wasn't wet and soft with mire. The brown tabby thought sullenly that it was much better suited for battle training than hunting. It seemed that Nightpelt was deliberately rubbing the fact they weren't practicing combat yet in his face.

"Alright, let's start with the hunting crouch," began Nightpelt. He began to demonstrate, but Brokenpaw cut him off with a growl of frustration.

"I know how to hunt!" he snapped. Did the whole clan think that just because they didn't know who his mother was, they could assume he had inherited a kittypet's softness? "I've known the hunter's crouch since I was two moons old!"

With that, he whirled abruptly away from his mentor and dropped into a crouch, his instincts guiding his movements. His tail-tip twitched slightly as he scented the air for signs of prey. It took him a moment to separate the scents of the plants from that of the animals who had passed by. He shut out all sound and scent of Nightpelt, completely ignoring the black tom. For a moment, he couldn't distinguish anything. Resisting the urge to blame Nightpelt, who indeed was sitting silent without moving a muscle, he tried again. This time, one scent stood out strongly against the foliage; another animal had passed by not long ago!

He focused on it, parting his jaws to draw the smell over his scent glands. He quickly identified it as a mouse. The apprentice's amber eyes darted around and fixed on a small creature in the long grass that bordered the clearing. _There it is!_He narrowed his eyes, waggled his haunches and pounced, his hind paws sending him leaping towards his prey with power and deadly accuracy. He moved with the swiftness of a hawk as he landed…

…on empty ground. His paws thumped down heavily on the place the mouse had been.

Brokenpaw let out a growl of frustration. He didn't look at Nightpelt, not wanting to see the undoubtedly gloating expression the warrior had from watching his failure. _That was one mistake, _he thought, glaring at the spot the mouse had been. _He can't judge my skills based on that.__I'll show him I'm a better hunter than everyone thinks!_

A wind swept through the clearing, blowing away any fresh scents. Abandoning his attempts to find prey by his sense of smell, Brokenpaw turned to his hearing to detect the creatures in the forest. He swiveled his ears around, focusing on the different sounds around him. A rustle? No that was just the wind in the leaves. A chirp! His gaze leapt eagerly to the trees, and he spotted a blackbird fluttering through the branches and pine needles.

He prowled forward, pleased at how stealthy his paw-steps were. He paused at the bottom of the tree, which was leaning slightly yet distinctly away from him. He hadn't seen it before its angle changed, but he guessed a storm had knocked it over moons ago. Moss grew on its trunk thickly and its branches tangled with those of the tree it leaned against. He narrowed his eyes, quickly judging the distance. He could make it if he ran fast enough.

Brokenpaw paused, taking a deep breath, and bounded as fast as he could up the tree. He moved with a swift grace, his paws practically flying as he hurdled up the tree trunk and lunged, his claws swiping at…

…thin air. He let out a snarl of frustration as the blackbird flew away, letting out calls of alarm. _Stupid blackbird, _he thought, turning away. _I didn't want that measly piece of prey anyway. _

With a bit more effort, as the bird's alarm call seemed to have spooked off most of the woodland animals, he tracked down another victim—a lizard. He tried his hardest to stay quiet and hold on to his quickly diminishing patience, but when the lizard went the same way as the mouse and bird, he could no longer contain his frustration.

"Why don't you actually teach me something?" he demanded, his pelt fluffed up to twice its size as he rounded aggressively on Nightpelt.

Nightpelt remained calm, gazing at his apprentice. "I wanted to, but you made it very clear to me that you could do it without my help," he mewed evenly. "So I'm waiting to see your skills in action. So far, I must say, I'm not very impressed."

Brokenpaw bristled, lowering his head and glowering at his mentor with hatred. He swallowed back an angry retort. There was no way he was going to dignify that mocking with an answer. Even his mentor seemed to dislike him for not being fully clanborn. He was even more determined not to admit that he didn't know what he was doing wrong. _I'd die before I ask for his help! _Brokenpaw thought furiously. _I'm a warrior, not a coward!_

Nightpelt seemed to take his silence for grudging agreement. "Watch me carefully," he instructed, getting to his paws. He coughed briefly, before straightening his shoulders determinedly. Then he crouched, his paws tucked neatly beneath his shoulders and haunches, his head lowered, his tail extended behind him. He paused to regard Brokenpaw with an unreadable gaze. "I believe your trouble was in your balance; you were leaning too much to the right."

Brokenpaw hesitated, but Nightpelt was clearly waiting for him. He crouched, paying attention to how he positioned his weight. It only took him a moment to realize that the older tom was right. Where he hadn't noticed any problem before, now he was aware of the evenness of this new posture. He glanced at Nightpelt, waiting to see what he would do.

Nightpelt made no acknowledgement that Brokenpaw had obeyed him, other than resuming his demonstration. The young tom watched as his mentor crept silently across the clearing, flicking his ears in a silent signal that Brokenpaw should remain where he was. Nightpelt opened his mouth to scent the air, rotating his ears at the same time. Suddenly, he turned his ears forward, his eyes fixing on the same point. Brokenpaw noticed how he used all his senses together, rather than selecting one to pinpoint his prey. The black tom continued, creeping towards his target, which Brokenpaw saw was a mouse. Nightpelt paused, double checking that he remained undetected, then bunched his muscles and sprang. He had calculated the time and distance perfectly, landing squarely on his prey.

"Did you see what I did there?" asked Nightpelt as he padded over and dropped the mouse in front of Brokenpaw. "I made absolutely sure the mouse didn't know I was there before I pounced. If you feel that your prey may sense you, there's no point in rushing to catch it. Just remain still until it lowers its guard, then you strike."

Brokenpaw nodded. He had to admit, he was impressed by the skill with which Nightpelt had taken down the mouse. He knew for a fact the prey had not even noticed his mentor until the moment the tom's jaws closed around its neck.

"Observe the mouse carefully," continued Nightpelt. "That is the mark of a killing bite. When you go to catch prey, grip it on the back of the neck and break it. That's the quickest, cleanest and most merciful way to turn it to freshkill."

Brokenpaw nodded again, not bothering to protest that he knew what a killing bite was. The black tom's hunt had begun to make him rethink dismissing Nightpelt as worthless. _Yellowfang was right, _he realized. _Maybe this cat can teach me something.__I should have known better than to ever think I was wiser than Yellowfang!_

"I think we probably scared away all the prey in this area, between frightening off a few and catching something here," meowed Nightpelt mildly. "No big deal. We'll move to the next clearing. It isn't quite as ideal as this one, but it will do just fine."

They walked for several moments until they arrived at the next opening in the foliage.

"Go on," Nightpelt instructed him, stopping just at the edge of the trees. "I'll watch from here, as not to frighten off the prey. You try it now, and remember what I told you."

Brokenpaw twitched his ears in wordless acknowledgement of his mentor's words, then crept carefully away a few tail-lengths. He parted his jaws, tasting the air for signs of prey. He smelled a few different types of prey, but couldn't tell which one was closest. Just then, he remembered that he was supposed to be listening and looking at the same time. He flicked his ears in all different directions, swiveling them as he did his best to capture all the sounds. But then he was focusing on that, and completely lost track of anything he could smell, not to mention the fact that a badger could have marched up an eaten him at any moment from the amount of attention he was paying to his sight. _Great StarClan, this is harder than it looks!_

He tried scenting first. It smelled as if a pair of lizards had been there previously, but it wasn't the freshest scent. The strongest and most recent was that of a robin. He twitched an ear. Birds would be the hardest thing to catch, but then again… He glanced over his shoulder at Nightpelt, who waved his tail encouragingly but didn't say anything. If Brokenpaw could impress his mentor by making his first catch a challenging one, then it would be worth it.

He inhaled again, closing his eyes and letting his ears swivel of their own accord towards where he thought the scent was. Then he exhaled slowly, turned quietly towards where his ears pointed and opened his eyes, looking straight ahead. He kept his ears pricked for any sounds of disturbance as his gaze surveyed the area. His eyes narrowed as they fixed on his target. The red-bellied bird was perched on a stump on the far side of the clearing. _Found it!_Before, the duller plumage of its back and wings had blended in with the ground, but when he knew where to look, he spotted it easily.

_Balance, _he reminded himself. _Don't put your weight all on your right side._

Brokenpaw crept forward ever so carefully, easing into the hunter's crouch. For a moment, he felt a stubborn flare in his chest as he pondered the fact that he had needed Nightpelt's help after all. He shoved it down determinedly. _Think of how proud Yellowfang will be when you bring her something you caught all on your own!_

He approached the robin and paused, barely a tail-length away. He began to waggle his haunches, then caught himself. _Double check, _he thought. He kept his eyes on his quarry as he carefully rotated his ears and tasted the air. The wind was blowing safely towards him, carrying his own scent away from the bird. He bunched his muscles again and pounced. His weight pinned the bird and he nipped it swiftly on the back of the neck before it could struggle.

_I did it! _Brokenpaw thought, his mind and heart racing. He turned, excited, to where Nightpelt was emerging from the bushes. "I did it!" he yowled delightedly, all his previous anger at the warrior forgotten. He almost bounced like a kit. "I caught it!"

"You did," purred Nightpelt. "Well done."

Brokenpaw felt a pleased purr of his own rise in his chest. Now at last, thanks to Nightpelt, he knew what it felt like to be a hunter. To be a warrior. He nodded respectfully to his mentor, promising his obedience from now on. He had no doubt he would get irritated now and then with Nightpelt's sickness, but he would not let that slow him down.

Someday, he would be the greatest warrior the forest had ever seen. And that dream had just started to become reality.


	7. Chapter 7: Battle Training

**Author's Note: Here's the update you requested! I apologize if it has any typos or other mistakes, as I proofread it pretty early in the morning. If you find any mistakes, please feel free to point them out so I can fix them. Also, I don't know if Deerpaw's coloration is right or not, since I couldn't find a single point in the book where it ever described him. I just went with how I imagined him to look.**

**To Wood Cats: Patience, Wood Cats! XD You'll see how the story plays out. I think you'll like it, though. :)**

**As for the times I update, I've been making an effort to increase it from once to at least twice a month. However, I've also been trying to make longer chapters, so you might end up with just one or the other. I'll try to do both, but it all depends on how much homework I get. Thankfully I haven't been getting as much homework lately, and with Easter break coming up, I should get more time to write. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or its characters.**

Chapter Seven: Battle Training

Brokenpaw took a moment to rest in the apprentice den when he awoke in the morning. For the past quarter moon since he had become an apprentice, Nightpelt had worked him hard with hunting practice, teaching him different techniques and skills for the wide range of prey that could be found in the swampy ShadowClan territory. The brown tabby's muscles ached from the effort of running, pouncing and stalking. He had been out of the camp before as a kit, but never before had he done so much work, let alone for days on end. Now he relished the warm sun that was streaming into the den and soaking into his stiff muscles.

_I could stay here all day! _he thought with a purr, comfortable in his soft nest. He knew that Nightpelt would soon be searching for him with the days' tasks, but right now, he was content to do nothing more than keep his eyes closed and nestle into the moss.

He could hear the sounds of the other apprentices in the den. It was just Brokenpaw and his adopted littermates there, which made it quite lonely at times, especially since Runningpaw slept in the medicine den and not with the other kittens. Now was one of the few moments that all three cats were present; with training and patrols, it was rare more than one of them was in the den at the same time. He listened to Deerpaw snoring and a rustling sound that was undoubtedly Tanglepaw. For a moment, all was silent; then, with squeals and sudden motion, a scene unfolded.

"Wha-? Who?" Deerpaw spluttered incoherently as he awoke. Brokenpaw's eyes were still closed, so he had to infer from sound alone what was happening. "Tanglepaw!"

"Got you!" cried his sister with delight.

Brokenpaw opened his eyes and rolled over to see Deerpaw scratching moss out of his ear with a hind paw. "Do you have any idea how irritating it is to be woken up by getting moss stuffed in your ear?" he demanded, glaring at Tanglepaw.

"That's the point!" meowed Tanglepaw cheerfully. She dodged Deerpaw's swipe and headed out of the den, most likely for a morning patrol.

Brokenpaw turned away, his mood soured. Although he was making progress with his mentor, it was still clear that he had no relation to the other apprentices. He could watch their games, but never join in. There was that little circle of littermates that he would never be included in. Now that he was no longer taunted, he was simply ignored. Sometimes he didn't mind much, but at other times, he became upset or even angry. His tail-tip twitched in frustration and jealousy. Sometimes he wondered if things would have been better if he had littermates of his own.

There was no point in dwelling on it, as it would never happen. Brokenpaw shook out his tabby coat and padded out into the camp, leaving Deerpaw grooming his chest fur indignantly as he recovered from Tanglepaw's prank. As his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, he saw Nightpelt approaching him.

"There you are," the black tom mewed, his long-legged strides bringing him up to Brokenpaw in a few steps. He cleared his throat with a light cough, flicked his tail, and continued. "You've been doing very well with hunting this past week, so I'd thought we'd begin battle practice today."

Brokenpaw felt all his dour thoughts evaporate in an instant. "Really?" he asked, his eyes widening in excitement.

"I think you've deserved it," meowed Nightpelt, seeming slightly amused by his apprentice's enthusiasm. "You've been far more patient than I thought possible, based on how you were your first day of training." Brokenpaw had been virtually uncomplaining throughout his training ever since the day he had begun his hunting practice; it seemed to have finally paid off!

"Thanks, Nightpelt!" he purred, his voice holding a rare tone of affection.

"Alright, let's head out to the forest," Nightpelt continued, with no more sign that he had heard his apprentice's gratitude than a brisk flick of his tail. "We'll start with seeing what you already know, then I'll teach you a few basic moves. We'll wrap up the training session with a mock battle between all the apprentices, but only if you're well behaved the entire time." He gave Brokenpaw a warning glance. "That means you stop when I tell you to and listen when I'm explaining something. Most importantly, you must keep your claws sheathed at all times during practice."

Brokenpaw nodded dutifully. "Alright," he agreed, somewhat reluctant, but not letting a hint of the feeling enter his voice. He'd been hoping to get some retribution for his days of nursery teasing, but he should have known his mentor would foresee it.

The two headed out into the woodland, returning to the sandy clearing of their first training session. It was empty when they arrived, with no sign of cat or prey. Nightpelt licked his chops wordlessly, an expression of satisfaction, and padded out into the clearing, swishing his tail in an indication that Brokenpaw should follow. The two walked to opposite ends of the clearing and faced each other, squaring their shoulders as they silently assessed their opponent. Nightpelt looked calm and collected, while Brokenpaw could feel his heart pounding in wild excitement.

"Show me what you can do," ordered Nightpelt, flicking one ear in a signal that his apprentice was to begin whenever he pleased.

Brokenpaw stalked forward a few paces, then stopped abruptly. His first instinct was to launch himself at Nightpelt and overpower him with the elements of surprise and brute strength. But he had realized in his short training experience that nothing with his mentor was as straightforward as it seemed. This was a cat that could watch his apprentice fail over and over again, matching his stubborn arrogance with quiet determination not to interfere. Nightpelt knew that Brokenpaw was impulsive and would use that against him. It was clear that being headstrong would get him nowhere in this spar. So what could the dark tabby do that the shrewd warrior would not expect?

_Run, _was the first thing that came to mind. Brokenpaw was about to mentally scoff at himself for the idea of running away from battle training when it hit him. Running didn't necessarily mean fleeing. He could use his speed to surprise Nightpelt. For a moment, he doubted his own strategy, but pushed it away. _It's definitely worth a shot!_

With that, Brokenpaw charged at his mentor as fast as he could. Nightpelt bunched his muscles to strike back, but the apprentice zigzagged suddenly away. Nightpelt spun to attack again, but Brokenpaw darted quickly in the other direction. _It's working! _Before he knew it, he was behind his mentor. With a yowl of triumph, Brokenpaw leaped onto the dark tom's back, sinking in his claws and thrusting down all his weight on top of the older cat.

Nightpelt twisted suddenly, sending Brokenpaw flying off. He hit the ground and skidded away a few tail-lengths, the wind knocked out of him.

"Nice try," meowed his mentor, padding over to look down at him. Nightpelt's eyes glowed with faint triumph. He was breathing a bit hard, but his chest heaved with strong breaths. "But as soon as you gave up your strategy in favor of strength, you were beaten. Courage is good in battle, but there is a very thin line between bravery and recklessness."

"I know," panted Brokenpaw, still on the ground. "Can I try again?"

"After you learn a few moves," responded Nightpelt. Brokenpaw scrambled to his paws and pricked his ears attentively, waiting to see what his mentor would show him.

The black tom glanced to see if Brokenpaw was watching, then turned his attention to his example. "Basic swipe," he meowed. Quick as a snake, he reared onto his powerful hind legs and lashed out with a front paw. His claws glittered like ice in the half-light that pierced the forest's canopy. "Simple, yet very effective, especially if you can land a hit in a sensitive area like the eyes or nose."

Next, he proceeded to show Brokenpaw a lower swipe. "This will trip your opponent, if you're fast enough," he explained. "The goal is to strike the tendon on the back of the leg and make it give way. This is a weak spot for every cat, so beware any low swipes."

Brokenpaw nodded, trying to keep his focus on the lesson rather than the excitement thrilling through his veins. He could hardly wait to try out these moves!

"One last move, before I have you practicing them," meowed Nightpelt. "Bite." He snapped his jaws closed. "It's very simple, but it's important to remember to hold on. The harder you chomp an enemy warrior, the more likely they are to run away. Scratches and swipes are good for starting out a fight, but they don't do much damage. It's a bite that will finish a battle."

"Got it," meowed Brokenpaw, his paws itching with excitement. "Can I try them?"

"Go ahead," Nightpelt replied, flicking his tail. "Try them on the air first, and then you can practice them on me when you get the hang of it."

Brokenpaw practiced each move with relentless determination until Nightpelt was satisfied. His mentor didn't say anything regarding Brokenpaw's resolve, making no sound but the occasional cough, but the young cat had a feeling he was impressed.

"Alright, you wanted to try those moves out for real; now you can" meowed Nightpelt at last, narrowing his eyes. "Give it a go."

Brokenpaw needed no encouragement. He bounded forward and lashed out at Nightpelt with a swipe to the face. His mentor ducked, but Brokenpaw was ready for him; he struck lower, catching the older tom with a blow to the tendon. He felt Nightpelt falter and leaped, biting his ear. He was careful not to sink his teeth in too deep, but he was determined not to be shaken off this time.

Nightpelt clouted Brokenpaw in the face with a strong paw, forcing the young tom to loosen his grip. With a twist, the warrior was free. "You won't beat me that easily," he meowed, his gaze amused. He kicked at Brokenpaw with powerful back paws, thrusting his apprentice away from him. Thinking fast, Brokenpaw sank in all four sets of claws, clinging to his mentor's foot. When the black tom tried to get to his paws, his progress was hindered by the weight on his leg.

"Get off, you lump of fur," rasped Nightpelt, panting with effort. Brokenpaw was pleased to hear the note of amusement in his voice. "If you were an enemy warrior, I'd have given you a good bite to remember me by, but I thought I'd let you off easy."

Brokenpaw released him and both toms got to their paws. The apprentice shook the dust from his pelt, while Nightpelt began to smooth his ruffled fur with brisk strokes of his tongue.

"Good," said Nightpelt, sounding satisfied. "Since it's obvious that you learn fast, I'll teach you another move. This one is a little more advanced than the other three, but I think you can handle it. It seems you were born with a gift for skill in battle."

"Great," mewed Brokenpaw, his tail shooting straight up in delight. _At last, someone notices my skill! _he thought triumphantly.

"Pay close attention," instructed Nightpelt. "If this is the enemy warrior," he gestured to a low-hanging branch, "then I'm going to take him down, but I have to be very quick." With that, the warrior launched himself towards the branch. Instead of raking his front claws across the tree, he locked his front paws around the part where the branch met the trunk, getting a powerful grip. Then the tom kicked out with a thrust of both hind paws, snapping off the branch. Twisting nimbly, he landed on all four paws, right in front of the branch, which had fallen to the ground.

Brokenpaw watched with wide eyes. That was the most impressive battle move he had ever seen! He turned to his mentor eagerly, bursting with questions.

Nightpelt raised his tail to forestall his apprentice's inquiries. "I'll give an explanation and then you can ask your questions if I haven't answered them," he mewed. Brokenpaw nodded and the black tom continued. "You grab the opponent's shoulders with your front paws so that they can't run away. Then you kick out with both hind paws as strongly as you can. You need to be quick though, as I said before the demonstration, and that's because you won't have any of your paws on the ground when you are attacking. You'll have to be ready to spring away from the enemy as soon as you're done with this move, otherwise he'll take you down with him."

"Will this work on any cat?" asked Brokenpaw, knowing that some attacks were best when used on a certain clan, while other techniques were universally effective.

"Yes, but the bigger your opponent, the better," Nightpelt answered. "A WindClan cat, for example, would be quicker and harder to grab than a bulky RiverClan cat. And this move uses a warrior's weight against him, so he'll fall harder is he's bigger."

"Can I try it?" was the apprentice's next question.

Nightpelt looked amused. "I'm not teaching you this for nothing," he said. "Of course you can try it out. But don't expect it to be perfect on your first try; like I said before, it's a much more advanced move than any of the others I taught you."

"I can pull it off," insisted Brokenpaw. Nightpelt twitched an ear without comment; if he doubted that, he was keeping it to himself.

"Alright," Nightpelt meowed. "Start whenever you're ready. I'm your opponent for this one, since you need to work with some cat to practice this move."

Brokenpaw nodded. He lunged forward, wrapping his forepaws around his mentor's shoulders. Nightpelt held still, evidently wanting to give Brokenpaw the best chance at getting the move right when it was only his first try. The young tabby curled into a ball and thrust out with his back paws, catching the warrior with a powerful blow to the chest. For a moment, Brokenpaw felt elation flood through him as Nightpelt staggered backwards; that was, until Brokenpaw's own weight pulled him and Nightpelt backwards onto the ground with a thud.

"Ouch," he grunted, his shoulder bruised and Nightpelt's weight crushing him. Thankfully, the black tom stood quickly, leaving the apprentice free to get up. "That was harder than I expected," he admitted, flexing his shoulder as he rose to his paws.

"It was good for a first try," Nightpelt assured him. "But you need to be a bit more careful with how you level your weight; throw it all into your strike. Try again."

Brokenpaw locked his front paws around Nightpelt's neck, making sure his grip was tight before using his hind paws. This time, he followed his mentor's advice, throwing all his weight into the thrust of his back feet. As Nightpelt stumbled backwards, Brokenpaw realized that he was falling onto the warrior and sprung away, landing neatly on his paws as his mentor collapsed.

"Well done," Nightpelt meowed, rising to his paws. "I must say, I'm impressed."

Brokenpaw was just about ready to burst with pride. He forced himself to nod graciously to his mentor, aware that bragging of his natural talent would come across as unappreciative. "Does that mean I get to battle the other apprentices now?" he asked hopefully.

Nightpelt's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Yes, I suppose so," he replied, flicking his tail over Brokenpaw's ear good-naturedly. "Let's go find your denmates."

The walk wasn't long; it was in a nearby clearing that they came across the others. Deerpaw and Tanglepaw were locked in an intense spar as Cloudpelt and Wolfstep called encouragement to their respective apprentices.

"Clout her in the head, Deerpaw!" shouted Cloudpelt, as Tanglepaw sank her teeth into the back of his apprentice's scruff, careful to get a good grip without breaking the skin. Deerpaw struggled, but his efforts were futile. "That'll dislodge her!"

"Hang on to him!" called Wolfstep animatedly. "Don't let him get away so easily!"

Brokenpaw felt his whiskers twitch with amusement; the mentors seemed almost as much into the fight as their apprentices! Wolfstep was certainly frustrated when Deerpaw escaped Tanglepaw's grip with a skillful roll and pinned her down.

"Better luck next time," boasted Deerpaw, letting Tanglepaw up. His eyes gleamed wickedly. "That's what you get for stuffing moss in my ear!"

"You're the one who'll need the luck!" meowed Tanglepaw, clearly determined not to be bested. "I'll flay you and then we'll see who ends up on top!"

"Perfect timing," meowed Cloudpelt to Nightpelt and Brokenpaw, spotting them. "Which mouse-brain do you want to take on; Deerpaw, the boastful and overconfident winner, or Tanglepaw, our overly-determined but hardworking underdog?"

Brokenpaw sized them up for a moment before narrowing his eyes at Deerpaw. "I'll fight the winner," he meowed, lashing his tail.

Cloudpelt dipped his head. "A brave one," he meowed, seeming impressed. "Alright, if you're ready to fight, then both of you, head to the either end of the field." Both apprentices complied, squaring their shoulders as they reached their starting points. Brokenpaw glared at his old enemy from the nursery. Deerpaw might have forgotten making fun of him, but Brokenpaw certainly remembered. _You may have beaten Tanglepaw, _he thought, more determined than he had ever been before, _but you will not beat me._ _Get ready for the battle of your life!_

"Begin!" Cloudpelt called out, bringing down his tail in a signal to start.

Both apprentices lunged forward, claws unsheathed. Deerpaw made the first move, slashing his claws across Brokenpaw's nose, but the dark tabby barely felt the pain. He countered with a low swipe, knocking the other apprentice's legs out from underneath him as he struck the tendon. He pounced on Deerpaw, sinking in his claws. The two rolled in a ball of fur and claws, resorting to wild, fighting instinct. Deerpaw broke away first, planting his paws down firmly to keep himself from rolling further. Brokenpaw twisted around to face his opponent as he skidded back through the sand. He lunged again, catching Deerpaw with a blow to the shoulder.

Deerpaw snarled, bristling as he recognized the brown tabby's personal grudge against him. He shouldered Brokenpaw hard, making the larger tom stumble backwards. Taking advantage of this moment of fault, the light brown tom pounced on Brokenpaw, trying his hardest to pin him down.

_I'm losing! _Brokenpaw thought in panic. He _couldn't_ lose, not after all of Deerpaw's cruel taunting. _Remember your training, _he urged himself, fighting to stay calm.

Brokenpaw locked his front paws around Deerpaw's shoulders. _Great StarClan, please let me get this move right!_Taking a deep breath, he lashed out as hard as he could at Deerpaw's chest. For a moment, Brokenpaw's heart plummeted as he realized he was fighting against his own weight, but his strike was stronger than he expected. Throwing his full weight forward, Brokenpaw rolled to his paws as he sent Deerpaw flying off him, using his grip around the smaller tom's neck to tumble to his paws. _Bet you didn't see that coming! _he thought, remembering that Nightpelt had said it was a more advanced move. Triumphant, Brokenpaw launched himself at his shocked opponent.

The struggle only lasted a few more heartbeats, with all of Deerpaw's efforts proving ineffective. Before long, Brokenpaw was able to overpower his former tormentor. _I'm much stronger than you now, _he thought._And that means…_"I win," he hissed aloud, narrowing his eyes.

"That you do," meowed Nightpelt, overhearing. His blue eyes glowed with pride.

Thrilled beyond anything he had felt before, Brokenpaw got off of the resentful Deerpaw. The light brown apprentice began to groom himself defensively, looking as if he hadn't enjoyed this defeat one bit. That made Brokenpaw's victory feel ten times better.

Tanglepaw bounced up to him, her eyes wide with admiration. "Wow!" she exclaimed, seeming very impressed. "You totally showed Deerpaw, didn't you? I never knew you could fight that well!"

"Well, now you do," meowed Brokenpaw, a bit superior. He felt that he had earned the bragging rights.

"This is doing nothing for your ego, is it?" teased Nightpelt as he walked over to his apprentice, flicking Brokenpaw's ear with his tail good-naturedly. "Well done."

Basking in their approval and Deerpaw's humiliation, Brokenpaw felt more content than he ever had in his life.


	8. Chapter 8: The Gathering

**Author's Note: Okay, the only excuse I have for not updating at all during the Easter break is that I was just too lazy for my own good. XD But I did write a little, and I didn't end up with too much homework today, so here it is: the next chapter! Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors or its characters.**

Chapter Eight: The Gathering

When the moon was once again shining full in the sky, there was an excited tension among all four of the new apprentices. It was an honor to be chosen to attend the Gathering; something that would have been unlikely had there been any older apprentices. But as they were the only young cats in training, it was a possibility that at least one of them to be picked. They gathered together in front of the apprentice den, sitting in a quiet and orderly line that was a miracle in itself, as well as an effort to impress. They group was silent, save for a few whispered comments.

"I hope more than one of us gets picked." That was Tanglepaw, her eyes wide and earnest in the light of the moon. "That way, we can explore Fourtrees together!"

_I hope I'm the only one picked, _thought Brokenpaw rather sourly. _It'd be much better to explore it on my own than with this bunch._

"Well, I think at least Runningpaw will get to go," meowed Deerpaw in a matter of fact voice.

"Why's that?" piped up the smallest apprentice, looking a bit nervous to have been singled out. Then again, when did Runningpaw not look nervous?

"Don't be a mouse-brain," mewed Tanglepaw, flicking her tail lightly over her younger brother's ear. "It's not every moon that the medicine cat takes an apprentice! That's big news to share! And I'm sure all the other medicine cats will at least want to get a good look at you."

"Do you think they'll like me?" Runningpaw asked anxiously.

Tanglepaw rolled her eyes. "Of course they will, with you tiptoeing around trying not to ruffle any cat's fur the wrong way! You'll be _fine_."

"_Shhh!_" hissed Deerpaw, who was sitting erect with his yellow eyes fixed on the leader's den. A hush fell over the group as the other three turned curiously to him. "Cedarstar is coming!"

Sure enough, the gray tom was strolling out of his den, Raggedpelt not far behind him. It was clear that the leader and his deputy had just finished discussing who they wished to bring with them to the Gathering. Brokenpaw swiveled his ears forward attentively, his paws prickling with excitement. _Please let me be picked! _he silently called out to StarClan.

Cedarstar was a gray shadow in the moonlight as he leapt atop the Clanrock. Brokenpaw thought he saw a hint of amusement in his leader's gaze as it swept over the apprentices lined up before him. "As I can see our youngest cats are the most anxious about who shall go to the Gathering tonight, I will announce which apprentices have been chosen first."

_Please pick me… please pick me… please pick me!_

"I am pleased to say that all four of you will be attending the Gathering this moon," meowed Cedarstar, swishing his tail. He looked down fondly at them. "I thought it fitting that you all be there when your new names are made known to the Clans."

Brokenpaw felt his heart pound with relief and excitement. _He didn't single me out, _he thought. _True, he did not choose only me to come, as I wanted, but he did not leave only me behind in the camp.__Perhaps Cedarstar doesn't hate me for being an outsider after all._

Cedarstar then proceeded to announce who else would come. Brokenpaw didn't pay much attention, wrapped up in his own enthusiasm, until he felt someone come up to him.

It was Yellowfang, looking pleased. "Congratulations for being chosen!" she purred, licking his ear with a raspy tongue. "I'm proud of you, my little warrior."

Brokenpaw ducked away, feeling embarrassed. "It's nothing special," he insisted. "All the other apprentices get to come too."

Yellowfang looked amused, and Brokenpaw realized with a start that she was joking with him. "What _I_ think is that it's amazing you didn't get yourself left behind with some wild misdemeanor," she mewed, her eyes teasing. "Come walk with me. I want to tell you what the Gathering will be like."

Brokenpaw glanced at her sideways. "Won't Runningpaw be walking with you?"

Yellowfang looked at him evenly in response. Brokenpaw felt the skin beneath his fur flush in embarrassment as he realized that she knew he was jealous of her apprentice. But she didn't comment on it, only flicked her ears at the three apprentices gathered a few tail lengths away. "I think Runningpaw will be walking with his littermates. Besides, I have to sit with the other medicine cats during the Gathering, so he'll be with me later. I won't be able to talk to you then."

Brokenpaw shook out his pelt, along with his shame and jealousy. She was right; this was no time to be sulking around. "So what did you want to tell me?" he asked, as Cedarstar began to lead his cats out of camp. The brown tabby and the medicine cat fell into step side by side, walking an easy tread so that the elders who had been chosen could keep up.

"Just a little about who's who," Yellowfang mewed. "Heatherstar is the leader of WindClan in these moons. She's an oddly colored she-cat; pinkish-gray, with blue eyes. You could recognize her from fox-lengths away by her pelt!"

"And she's scrawny, right?" Brokenpaw asked. "All of those rabbit-chasers are."

Yellowfang looked amused. "Perhaps compared to us, but don't ever call a WindClan cat scrawny to her face! She'll claw you twice as hard."

"I'm not afraid of WindClan!" said Brokenpaw confidently. "I could rip them to shreds any day, using only one paw!"

"That's another thing," meowed Yellowfang. "No fighting, Brokenpaw. The apprentices from other Clans might try to pick a fight with you—StarClan, a _warrior _might try to pick a fight with you. We're no better for our moons sometimes. But whatever happens, you cannot let yourself be drawn into a fight. There must be a truce under the full moon. Do you understand?"

Brokenpaw nodded. "Alright." He definitely understood, but whether it would really affect his actions in such a situation was a mystery.

"Good," meowed Yellowfang, her intensity easing. "I have faith in you, Brokenpaw."

The words warmed the dark tabby's heart. "Thanks, Yellowfang."

Her orange eyes seemed to smile at him. "I always will."

…

It wasn't much longer until the ShadowClan cats reached the edge of the hollow. Brokenpaw stared down in awe at the four great oaks. He had seen Fourtrees from a distance, but never had he imagined they were so huge up close!

"That's the Great Rock in the middle of them," Yellowfang mewed to him, indicating it with her plumy tail. "All the leaders stand up there to share their news."

With a triumphant sounding yowl, Cedarstar raised his tail confidently and plunged into the clearing, his cats following. Brokenpaw liked the feeling of this tradition; as he ran, he imagined he was a Clan leader himself, victoriously leading his cats into battle. Despite the fact that they were the only Clan that had already arrived, Brokenpaw felt a restless energy and power. It spurred him to continue running across the clearing and head towards the Great Rock.

_Wow, _he thought, looking up at it in awe as he approached it. And with that, Brokenpaw bunched his muscles to leap onto the Great Rock.

"Brokenpaw!" It was Nightpelt, calling to his apprentice from where he stood among the group of warriors. "You can't go up there!" he scolded. "That's only for the Clan leaders."

For a moment, Brokenpaw felt a stab of anger at being reprimanded in front the whole Clan. Then he pushed it away, realizing that he was being ridiculous. Rules were rules, even if he didn't like following them. He looked up at the boulder's great silvery silhouette against the black night sky. "One day," he promised himself, with a flick of his tail. He turned away and bounded back over towards the group of ShadowClan cats.

As he rejoined them, Nightpelt cuffed him around the ears with a black paw. "What were you thinking?" he meowed, his voice half scolding, half fond.

Brokenpaw ducked away, flattening his ears crossly. "Just you wait until I'm ruler," he muttered, trying to sound resentful but unable to keep his whiskers from twitching. "Then you'll regret being such a bossy mentor!"

"We'll see," replied Nightpelt, his blue eyes glimmering with amusement.

"Can I explore the hollow?" Brokenpaw asked him. "Or is that only for the Clan leaders too?"

"Oh, don't be so cheeky," meowed Nightpelt fondly, swatting him with a paw. "You can explore, but be sure to get back somewhere I can see you by the time the leaders start speaking."

"Alright!" With that, Brokenpaw bounded off to investigate as much as he could before his time ran out, leaving his mentor chatting with the other warriors.

Bristling with excitement, he ran ahead of the other apprentices, determined to see every last step of the hollow before they did. They walked slowly in a clustered, chattering group anyway, so it wasn't difficult to get by them while they were talking. The brown tabby plunged into the bushes to look around. Squirming out on the other side, he found himself the first to see an approaching group of cats. At their head was a massive bright ginger tom.

Brokenpaw opened his jaws to scent the air suspiciously, wondering if this was a group of rogues. But instead of the stink of Twoleg-place dwellers, he found that these cats carried the less pungent scent of ThunderClan. _So that must be Sunstar, _he thought, looking at their leader.

The group of cats hadn't seen him, so he backed up through the bushes and ran back over to his Clanmates. "More cats are coming!" he announced.

Almost as soon as he had mewed the words, Sunstar led his warriors over the edge of the hollow. The ThunderClan cats ran down the slope and dispersed among the ShadowClan cats, much to Brokenpaw's surprise. He had heard of the truce before, but nevertheless, actually seeing the two Clans mingle together peacefully was a strange sight to him. He blinked at the odd picture it made, thinking that he'd probably never get used to it, even if he went to a thousand Gatherings.

Yellowfang and Runningpaw had gone off to sit with the ThunderClan medicine cat— he could have sworn there were supposed to be two?— at the base of the rock, and Nightpelt was nowhere to be seen, so Brokenpaw drifted off to resume his exploration.

It wasn't long before WindClan and RiverClan arrived, spilling into the hollow together. Disappointed at finding his ventures cut short, Brokenpaw turned to head back to the ShadowClan group, but suddenly there were too many cats and scents in the hollow, confusing him. He couldn't remember where any of his Clanmates had been standing; for once, he wanted to see at least _someone_ he recognized, even if it happened to be Lizardstripe or one of her kittens.

Two cats separated themselves from the group and leapt onto the Great Rock, where Sunstar and Cedarstar were already standing. The dark tabby realized that they must be Heatherstar and Hailstar, the respective leaders of WindClan and RiverClan. That must mean the Gathering was about to start! He had to get back to his Clanmates right away.

"Brokenpaw!" a voice called. The apprentice turned to find Raggedpelt shouldering his way through the crowd. Never before had Brokenpaw been so relieved to see his father. "Nightpelt sent me to find you; the leaders are about to start their announcements."

"Sorry," he mewed, moving towards Raggedpelt. "I got a little lost."

"Come with me," Raggedpelt meowed in reply. "I'll make sure you get back to the Clan safely." His amber eyes twinkled; Brokenpaw wondered if he was being teased, but didn't mind. Fathers were different than nursery bullies. Raggedpelt began to plow another path back to the front of the clearing, Brokenpaw bounding along in the larger tabby's wake.

"Here we are," the deputy mewed as they broke through the crowd. The two tabbies sat down at the front of the clearing. "The best warriors get to sit up here in the front, right by the deputies and medicine cats," Raggedpelt explained. "Today you're with me, but one day you'll be welcomed up here thanks to your own merit. Cats of all the Clans will respect you, not for who your father is, but because they know that you are a true warrior."

The dark tabby's eyes seemed to glow golden in the dark as he spoke. Brokenpaw wondered all of the sudden if his father knew how he felt. No one had ever mentioned anything odd about Raggedpelt's parentage, yet there was a determination in his eyes that made the apprentice feel that he was seeing some dream the deputy had strived for long ago. He felt a rush of affection for his father; they had never been very close, as Raggedpelt was often busy with the obligations of being second in command, but his son loved and admired him more than any other cat.

"I won't be here," Brokenpaw meowed confidently. "I'll be up on that rock some day."

Raggedpelt purred and touched his nose to his son's ear. "That's the spirit!" he meowed, before rising and padding over to where the other deputies stood at the base of the rock.

With a loud yowl, Cedarstar began the Gathering. The old gray-furred leader looked regal and silvery beneath the light of the full moon as he looked down on the cats gathered below. "ShadowClan has good news to report," he meowed, his voice ringing confidently through the hollow. "We have made four new apprentices this moon. Tanglepaw, Brokenpaw and Deerpaw will train as warriors, while Runningpaw is apprenticed to Yellowfang and will become a medicine cat."

The cats in the clearing began to yowl out the names of the new apprentices, especially ShadowClan. Brokenpaw sat up proudly, feeling powerful as he received the approval and congratulations of all four Clans. He could almost hear the shouts as he was confident they would be moons later: "Brokenstar! Brokenstar!"

"_You've_ been made an apprentice?" a voice scoffed behind him. "Why, you look as if you could use a few more moons in the nursery, Tinykit."

Brokenpaw was still too filled with the euphoria of the Clans' calls to be really bothered by the comment. He merely gave a contemptuous glance behind him to see who had spoken, and upon seeing that it was a scrawny WindClan apprentice, replied, "You're half my size, Punykit."

"What did you say?" hissed the apprentice he had insulted.

"You heard me," he replied, his tone gloating. He couldn't resist adding another gibe. "Unless you're just as deaf as you are weak and brainless."

Now he was aware that there were two WindClan apprentices behind him, as both of them bristled indignantly at his remark. "Oh, you've never seen me fight," growled the first one, his voice becoming dangerous with real anger. "But you can, _right now,_ if you think you're better than me, you ShadowClan fleabag!"

"Yeah," chimed in the other apprentice viciously. "I bet you can beat him with one paw; I hear he's not even fully Clanborn!"

Brokenpaw wasn't looking at them, but he went rigid at the taunt, as it struck far too close to home. He shoved his ears forward, determined to hide the fact that they had gotten to him, but the apprentices had already seen the effects of their words.

"Who do you suppose his mother is?" continued the second apprentice, his voice mockingly thoughtful. "I think she's a lousy rogue, or maybe a _kittypet_. But it doesn't really matter to me; I bet he's weaker than the weakest Twoleg-place cat!"

Brokenpaw felt his face twist into a snarl of rage. "I'd shut up now, if I were you," he growled, his voice deadly quiet. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he struggled to calm himself. _This is what they want, _he thought desperately. _Don't let them get to you!_

_But this is what you want, too, _a voice inside him purred silkily. _You know that they'll only stop taunting you once you show them how false their words are._

"Why?" taunted the first apprentice. "Too scared we're right?"

Brokenpaw was a heartbeat away from whirling around and attacking the apprentices as a rushing sound filled his ears. Only one thing stopped him: Yellowfang's words echoing in his ears. _Whatever happens, you cannot let yourself be drawn into a fight.__There must be a truce under the full moon…__I have faith in you, Brokenpaw._

He took a deep breath as he thought about how disappointed Yellowfang would be in him if he broke the truce. _It's not worth it_, he thought, forcing down his anger.

So instead of attacking the apprentices, he replied smoothly, "Not at all. I just respect the wishes of StarClan, unlike you fox-hearts."

"Say that to my face!" hissed the first WindClan cat, while the other one looked ready to attack.

"I already have," meowed Brokenpaw evenly, resolutely looking ahead.

And that ended the argument. Brokenpaw felt a pang of satisfaction as he sensed the WindClan apprentices seething behind him, especially when a warrior from their Clan leaned over and rebuked them for not paying attention to the Clan leaders. _Thanks, Yellowfang._

…

At the end of the Gathering, Brokenpaw met up with Yellowfang as she and Runningpaw returned from saying their goodbyes with the medicine cats of the other Clans. The gray she-cat, seeing that Brokenpaw wanted to talk to her, sent Runningpaw up ahead to walk with his littermates.

"I saw those WindClan cats trying to pick a fight with you," she mewed.

"They almost succeeded," Brokenpaw admitted, looking at the ground as he walked so she couldn't see his embarrassment. "I barely reigned in my temper."

"But you did," purred Yellowfang, taking him by surprise. "I'm proud of you, Brokenpaw."

He looked over at her and saw that she was not teasing as she had been earlier in camp, but truly sincere. Her eyes shown with real pride as she gazed back at him. The thought that any cat could look at him and be proud, not ashamed, warmed his heart. He had come so far from the unwanted kit in the nursery. _Now I have someone that's proud to call me a friend._It was worth enduring those WindClan apprentice's taunts, hard as it had been.

So despite the fact that he hadn't been the only apprentice picked for the Gathering, despite the fact that he'd been teased by cats from another Clan, despite the fact that he had missed half of the leaders' announcements, Brokenpaw felt as if he was walking among the stars.

Because Yellowfang was proud of him.


	9. Chapter 9: An Elder's Story

**Author's Note: I may end up changing the end of this chapter a little, since I felt that Brokenpaw was a little out of character. In the meantime, I'd love to know what you guys all think; am I being too critical of my writing, or is his personality a little off?**

**I've also been meaning to thank all my reviewers for quite a few chapters now, but I kept forgetting in my excitement to post the new chapter. I really appreciate all your feedback, especially since you all leave such wonderful and positive comments. Some of your reviews just make my day, so thank you! :)**

**In reply to a few of said reviewers:**

**To Wood Cats: *Virtually hugs back* Glad you liked it! ;)**

**To Shiverdream of WindClan: Don't worry, you're not the only one to make that mistake. Even the Erin Hunters accidentally described Brokenstar as a black cat (in ****_The Last Hope_****). If the writers can't remember what their own cats look like, you can't be expected to remember every single one either. XD**

**Speaking of appearance inconsistencies, sorry if I made a few. The allegiances didn't tell my any of the elders' eye colors, and I was too tired to scour every page of ****_Yellowfang's Secret_**** trying to find them, so I made up my own. If I made a mistake, kindly point it out in a review, and I'll fix it as soon as I get the chance. Thanks!**

**Alright, enough of my chatter. Read, review and enjoy! ;)**

Chapter Nine: An Elder's Story

She was less proud of him when he beat up Deerpaw the next day for calling him a coward on the subject of the matter.

"Why in the name of StarClan would you fight him?" Yellowfang demanded when Nightpelt dragged Brokenpaw into the medicine den to get his scratches healed. Deerpaw had been treated first, so the medicine cat already knew what had happened from his explanation of why he was covered in cuts. Now she was steaming mad, furious that she had to waste herbs treating the minor injuries that had resulted from a pointless fight between Clanmates.

"I had to defend my honor!" Brokenpaw insisted, knowing full well that Yellowfang would not accept this excuse, but having no other reason for his actions. He hadn't thought about what he was doing, just about making Deerpaw take back the insult. "He called me a coward!"

"I could call you a coward right now, and you wouldn't claw my face off!" snapped Yellowfang. "You may not have just jumped on him for no reason, but you and I both know that there would have needed to be a better reason than the one you just told me."

They did, but Brokenpaw wasn't about to admit that. It was true that personal grudges had played a part in his actions, he supposed. But that was Deerpaw's fault, not his, and it was Deerpaw's problem in the end, not his. Brokenpaw knew better than to say this out loud, however, so he kept his mouth closed as Yellowfang scolded him.

Nightpelt was equally frustrated with his apprentice. "You know better than that!" he meowed with stern authority, when Brokenpaw's scratches had been treated and bandaged with cobwebs. "You're not a kit that's picked on in the nursery anymore. You're a warrior apprentice of ShadowClan who should be responsible for his own actions."

Nightpelt then proceeded to assign him a punishment; changing the elders' bedding and removing their tics for as long as it took to learn his lesson.

Brokenpaw knew that there was no use pretending he was sorry; Nightpelt would see immediately whether or not he was sincere. Instead, he bowed his head submissively, and with a resentful glance towards Deerpaw, who was sharing freshkill with Tanglepaw, bounded off to fetch moss for the elders' nests. He remembered from his time playing in Yellowfang's den as a kit that he wasn't supposed to take any of the soft, leafless plant from her store, so he headed into the forest with the intent of finding fresh bedding.

That was how he ended up questing for moss in the woods.

Moss grew everywhere, but the elders were the pickiest cats in camp. The moss needed to be the softest in the forest, and couldn't have a speck of water on it, or they would complain it was damp. It couldn't be too dry either, or they would yowl that it was bristly. If it—StarClan forbid—had _thorns_ in it, Brokenpaw would hear their whining from Highstones. So he knew it would take a while to find moss for their bedding, because it had to be _perfect_, or a whisker's width from it.

_Deerpaw should be punished too! _his mind insisted, as he scoured the forest for suitable moss. _It wasn't like he stood there like a martyr, letting me claw him as he refused to break the warrior code!__He fought back; he was just as wrong as I was!_

True he hadn't _started_ the fight, but he had instigated it. That was just as bad in Brokenpaw's eyes. But neither Yellowfang or Nightpelt had seemed to agree, so here he was, stuck with a punishment while Deerpaw was probably boasting that he had beaten Brokenpaw. It would be a lie of course; they both knew Brokenpaw would have shredded his skimpy pelt if the dark tabby had gotten the chance to finish the fight.

_Well, there's no point dwelling on it now, _Brokenpaw thought, shaking his head to clear the plaintive voices nagging at him.

He scanned all the trees with his gaze as he walked, becoming increasingly bored as he went along. _That tree has no moss… too dry and crinkly… Great StarClan, the elders would tear out my pelt if I filled their nest with mushrooms!… Aw, that could have been good if it wasn't full of swamp water… Is that clump good?__No—there's fox scent around here, and they'll complain it reeks of the creatures… still too dry… there's not enough there… no moss… no moss… _

He suddenly caught sight of a patch of especially green moss, which jolted him out of his thoughts. Excited at the thought of his punishment not taking as long as he had expected, he bounded over to it and sniffed the fluffy patch. To his disappointment, it was soaking wet from the previous night's rainfall and glittered with beads of water in the morning light.

The dark tabby straightened up, twitching an ear thoughtfully. _Should I pull it up and wait for it to dry? _he wondered, as he eyed the moss critically. _Or should I accept the fact that I can't use this bit and go searching for a better clump that may or may not exist?_

Pondering this, Brokenpaw realized that he'd have to be able to pull it up without getting splinters in it, as this was another flaw the elders might complain about. _My decision may end up being made for me anyhow, _he realized. _So I might as well try working this clump loose, and see how far I get.__I can decide after that, if I don't utterly destroy it, whether I should use it or not._ Satisfied, the apprentice unsheathed his claws and began to carefully pry up the moss.

It was more difficult than he expected; the roots of the moss clung deeply into the bark of the pine tree on which it grew. He tried wedging his claws under the moss, but it wouldn't budge, and he abandoned that attempt when he scraped his claws painfully on the bark. Next, he went for hooking his talons into the surface of the moss, trying to pull it up that way. The efforts were futile; he only succeeded in shredding off tufts of the plant and making a mess of it.

He glared, determined to get this piece of moss. _No wonder this task is reserved for cats that need punishing! _he thought. _It's a pain in the tail, and the most tedious thing I've ever done, not to mention a complete waste of time!__I could have caught three shrews and a fox in the time I've been using to get the elders their perfect moss._

Suddenly, an idea came to Brokenpaw. _I may not be able to get the moss off the bark, but what if I could get the bark off the tree?__Then I wouldn't bash up my claws so much, and it'd be a lot easier to peel the moss off…_ Deciding it was worth a try, Brokenpaw bunched his muscles and leaped at the tree, kicking out with his back paws just above the patch of moss. With a satisfying _snap_, a huge piece of bark was dislodged from the tree, complete with moss attached.

_It worked!_ Pleased, Brokenpaw padded over to his handiwork and flipped it over so that the side with the moss was down. He then unsheathed his claws again and scraped off the bark with relatively no difficulty. Some parts broke a little, scattering splinters, but he was able to brush most of them off before they could get tangled up in the plant.

When he was done, he took a moment to pick out the last bits of splinters and double checked that there were absolutely no flaws with the moss. It was still a bit damp, but a bit of time in the sun could change that. Picking it up carefully in his jaws and making sure he had a good grip on it—StarClan forbid he drop all his hard work into a puddle of mud—Brokenpaw bounded back to camp.

When he got back, Brokenpaw found all the elders sunning themselves, as it was a lovely morning. _Good, _he thought_.__I'll be able to change their bedding without them shuffling around in the den and making a nuisance of themselves without even trying._ He mentally rebuked himself almost immediately after. _Fox-dung, I promised Yellowfang I'd be more respectful to my elders, and this isn't a great way to start._He remembered openly criticizing Nightpelt in front of her, and recalled the fiery she-cat's fury at the way he had talked about the older tom.

Thinking of Yellowfang, Brokenpaw remembered that he needed to fetch mouse-bile for the elders' ticks. He winced at the thought, but decided he'd better get it over with. Depositing his moss in the sunlight to dry, he bounded over to the medicine den.

"Hey Yellowfang!" he called, hoping that she was in a better mood than when he had last seen her. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the den, he spotted Yellowfang making her way towards him, a wispy gray shadow in the gloom.

"In search of some mouse-bile?" she asked him, her orange eyes glinting. There was a soft thud as she dropped something foul-smelling at his paws. "It's in there," she added, as she turned away to return to her herbs. "Be sure to wash your paws well in the stream when you're finished; your denmates won't thank you for the smell of that!"

"Good to know," Brokenpaw mewed, half-joking. There were few things he enjoyed more than doing things that irked the other apprentices. And it might be fun to just drop a little mouse-bile into Deerpaw's nest…

"I should have known you'd say that." Brokenpaw was relieved to hear a good-humored note in Yellowfang's voice. "Apprentices these days are never up to anything good."

In a much better mood, Brokenpaw emerged back into the sunlight of the camp and headed over to where the elders were lounging in the sun. There were five of them at the moment, he noted with an inward sigh. That was five cats' worth of ticks, and five nests to change. He padded up to Littlebird first; she was the friendliest of ShadowClan's elders.

"I've been sent to get rid of your ticks," he meowed.

"Oh, thank you, Brokenpaw," replied the old she-cat, readjusting herself so that her back faced the young tom. "I know there's one at the base of my tail, and I'm sure there's one somewhere in my shoulder, but I can't seem to pinpoint it."

Brokenpaw resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the ginger tabby. It was hard for him to take the elders seriously when they acted as if they couldn't do anything. He couldn't really believe that they had ever been strong young warriors.

"You know, he's not doing this voluntarily," Deerleap pointed out, looking at them with unfriendly amber eyes. She was lying in the sun by Archeye, their gray tabby pelts blending with each other's and the warm stone beneath them. Deerleap was one of the strictest cats in the Clan, when it came to both mentoring, Brokenpaw had heard, and the Clan laws. She had never really liked him to begin with, and was all disapproval about his breaking the warrior code.

"Voluntary or not, it's what gets done that counts," mewed Littlebird cheerfully.

"Eh," said Archeye skeptically. "I still think apprentices were way better behaved in my day. They actually helped of their own accord. We never once complained about our duty to our elders."

Lizardfang looked amused. "That's the biggest load of fox-dung I've ever heard," the old light brown tabby chuckled. "You and the others always tried to get out of ridding the elders of their ticks. I know you did, because we all did, even in my generation. That was how it was!"

Brokenpaw suppressed a growl of annoyance as he hunted down the tick in Littlebird's shoulder. He had already gotten rid of the one in her tail, but he could see another one in her side, and this was only the first elder. After that, he still had to change all of their nests. And that was only today; his punishment lasted much longer than that.

"I think we're boring our helper here with conversation of old times," Littlebird interjected gently, as Crowtail and Archeye got into a heated debate about whether or not the prey tasted better moons ago. "He doesn't want to hear about those things."

Deerleap eyed Brokenpaw haughtily. "Then what does our helper wish to hear?"

Brokenpaw flattened his ears in embarrassment, feeling his pelt grow hot. "Whatever you want to talk about," he shot back. "No cat is stopping you!"

"I think we should tell him a legend," meowed Archeye, shuffling his haunches and curing his tail over his front paws. His yellow eyes held wisdom and—was that a spark of laughter he saw in the old tom's gaze? "The one of Darkflame and Brighteye."

Deerleap's eyes glittered knowingly. "An excellent choice," she meowed.

"I will begin," decided Lizardfang, shifting to sit up on his haunches. He moved slowly, his arthritic bones making his movements stiff. The other elders nodded respectfully; Lizardfang was the oldest cat in the Clan, and held seniority in the elders' den.

_Whatever, _thought Brokenpaw, moving towards Deerleap now that he was finished removing Littlebird's ticks, but the gray tabby aimed a hiss in his direction, so he circled around to settle by Crowtail instead. The narrow black she-cat made no move to discourage him, so the apprentice began to dab at the first tick with mouse-bile. _Let them tell their dumb story and get it over with; at least Deerleap won't be shooting me hostile looks if she's listening to the tale._

"There was once a young warrior in ShadowClan named Darkflame," began Lizardfang in his rasping voice. "He was well liked by his young peers, but distrusted by the older cats for his ambitious nature. Nevertheless, the deputy, Brighteye, was fond of the striving young cat, and for whatever reason, placed his faith in Darkflame when it was time for him to be leader. He chose Darkflame as his new deputy, right before he set off to receive his nine lives."

"Now, Darkflame and Brighteye looked very much alike, despite having no blood relation to one another. Both, you see, were black cats with white markings on their chests and throats. The only clear difference between the two was a white blaze over Brighteye's left eye."

Brokenpaw was giving the story only half of his attention; after he had heard that Darkflame was well liked by his peers, he had dismissed the legendary cat as nothing like himself. He focused the majority of his attention on his task, listening only enough to make sure that Deerleap wouldn't suspect his lack of interest in the story.

"So Darkflame saw his chance," meowed Deerleap, taking up the story where Lizardfang had left off. "When Brighteye set out alone with his medicine cat, Darkflame followed in secret. As the medicine cat headed down the tunnel into Highstones, Brighteye paused on the hill outside the entrance. Some say that he knew something was amiss. But any suspicion he might have had was too late—Darkflame leapt out of the shadows and killed Brighteye, taking his place."

Brokenpaw jerked in surprise, his attention caught. He hadn't expected the story to take this turn; he wondered where the elders were going with this. Captivated against his will, Brokenpaw settled into a more comfortable position to listen.

"He slashed his own face with his claws," continued Deerleap. "It left a scar above his left eye; in the darkness, the medicine cat mistook the pale skin beneath for a blazing white mark. And Darkflame had rolled himself in Brighteye's scent before coming into the cavern. So, believing Darkflame to be Brighteye, the medicine cat led him to receive nine lives."

"StarClan actually allowed that?" Brokenpaw demanded, forgetting that he wasn't supposed to be interested in the story. "Even though Darkflame killed Brighteye?"

"He was the deputy," Littlebird explained with a nod. "It is part of the warrior code that the deputy of a Clan must become leader after the current leader dies. StarClan could either give him nine lives and hope he would make no further acts against the warrior code, or risk their own honor by breaking the very code they had created."

"So they chose to give him lives," continued Crowtail, "each along with a warning. They told Darkflame that he must serve his Clan according the warrior code, or they would let his own guilt destroy him and ShadowClan."

"At first, Darkflame—now Darkstar—was unconcerned with StarClan's ominous cautions, for he felt no guilt, nor remorse for his actions. Despite the evil methods by which he had gained his leadership, he truly did want what was best for his Clan; something he thought he could supply to them. But as moons passed, and ShadowClan remained exactly as it was, neither suffering nor thriving, Darkstar began to question himself."

Brokenpaw kept his attention on Littlebird as he switched over to Archeye. He found himself filled with an ominous foreboding as he listened to the story, as if it were somehow personal to him. Had the elders known he would feel this way when they picked the story?

"'Have I really done the right thing for ShadowClan?' he asked himself," Littlebird went on. "'Or did I make a horrible mistake somehow?' Little by little, Darkstar lost faith in himself and his choices and eventually succumbed to the guilt in his heart."

"One night, Brighteye came to Darkstar in a dream," meowed Archeye. "Overcome with grief and remorse, Darkstar threw himself down at Brighteye's feet and wept."

"'I'm so, so sorry,' he whispered. 'You put faith and trust in me like no one else ever has, and I betrayed you. I killed you for my own gain, with no regret. I was utterly selfish, but more than that, I was blind, because I never saw how important the life of a friend was. I do not deserve to lead the cats who were your kin and friends, the Clan that should have been yours; the Clan that is rightfully yours. They call me by your name, but I am not and never will be half the cat you are.'"

"For a long moment, Brighteye was quiet, and Darkstar feared that the StarClan cat had not heard him. But when he opened his mouth to repeat his words, Brighteye spoke at last. 'Rise and face me like an equal,' he meowed to Darkstar. 'You are right when you said you are not half the cat I am; you are your own cat, completely full and whole. You have made mistakes, but our mistakes are what shape us into who we are. The fact that I stand here before you means that you regret my death and seek to atone for your mistakes."

"'I do,' Darkstar replied," meowed Crowtail, taking up the story again, as Brokenpaw moved to start working at Lizardfang's ticks. "'But there is more to my mistakes that you do not yet know; StarClan told me that guilt will destroy me and ShadowClan. And I fear it has already begun, for my guilt is eating away at my heart.' Indeed it had, for Darkstar had begun to fall ill, no longer able to stand tall and proud with such a weight on his shoulders."

"'Then do not be guilty,' responded Brighteye."

"'How can I not be after all I have done?' cried Darkstar, confused and appalled."

"'Be better than you were before,' meowed Brighteye, beginning to fade away. 'While you still have life in your body, you will always be able to make up for your sins.'"

"When Darkstar first woke up, he had no idea what he could possibly do as penance for such grievous mistakes. But as he looked out over his Clan, he knew where he had to start," meowed Lizardfang, replacing Crowtail as storyteller. "He called his Clan together and told them of his deeds, revealing himself as Darkstar, a coward and traitor, not the beloved Brightstar they thought their leader was. The Clan, furious and grief-stricken, drove him out of ShadowClan. Darkstar then fled to the Moonstone and willingly renounced his nine lives."

"He died?" gasped Brokenpaw. "Just like that?"

"Not yet," meowed Deerleap, fixing him with intense amber eyes. "He still had his original life left to live. And so, once more Darkflame, he had a new beginning outside the Clan. He longed to return to ShadowClan, but he knew he was neither worthy, nor welcome to be there. So he wandered alone, watching over his Clan from a distance, but never rejoining them."

"From time to time, he found them in danger and fought off threats. Countless times he was injured battling away a dog or a fox, or went hungry, leaving all the prey for his Clan. He let himself suffer for the good of his cats. And there was one time, as happens to all of us in our own time, that he did not recover. He died alone, not far from his Clan, but forgotten by them."

Brokenpaw felt a sharp pang of loss. Although it was just a story, he felt pity for the cat who had worked so hard for a redemption that his Clanmates had never seen.

"But that was not the end of his story," continued Deerleap, stretching her stiff limbs. She paused to yawn, then returned her gaze to Brokenpaw's face. "For the moment he breathed his last, he was aware of the stars shining around him. And when he opened his eyes, he found himself reunited with Brighteye, who nodded to him."

"'You have redeemed yourself, Darkflame,' he mewed, wisdom and starlight together glowing in his eyes. 'You have proved yourself a worthy cat of StarClan, for despite having none of the rewards of Clan life, you stayed true to the warrior code to your last breath. Come and join us.'"

"And so, Darkflame came to shine among the brightest stars, for his journey had been long and hard, but he had never truly forsaken his faith."

For a moment, Brokenpaw was silent as Deerleap finished the story. He felt choked with emotion, a strange and alien feeling to him, yet not entirely unpleasant. In fact, he could almost have called it a warm feeling, as he had felt earning Yellowfang's praise. And it was in that moment, thinking of his own life once more, that Brokenpaw realized the true meaning of the story. He could see it just as clearly in Deerleap's eyes and she gazed at him. The elders wanted him not only to regret breaking the warrior code by attacking a Clanmate, but for him to apologize, to make up for his mistakes.

For a moment, the dark tabby's pride held him back. But if Darkflame could have the courage to apologize to a cat he had killed, Brokenpaw could apologize to someone he had only slightly shredded. For the first time in his life, Brokenpaw felt a shift in the way he thought. For once, he was thinking of Deerpaw as a Clanmate to which he owed respect, not an enemy. He was no longer a kit in the nursery, he realized with this epiphany. He had reached the point in his apprenticeship that he began to see the world through the eyes of a warrior, a mature cat.

Brokenapw got to his paws resolutely. "I've got something I need to do," he meowed, dipping his head to the elders. "I'll see you all later." And with that, he got up and bounded off towards the apprentice den in search of Deerpaw.

"Wait!" yowled Deerleap. "You still haven't gotten rid of my ticks or changed our bedding!"

"Don't worry about it!" Littlebird called after him. Her golden eyes twinkled knowingly; she understood where he was going. "I'll finish up your job here!"

"Thanks, Littlebird!" he called back, feeling grateful to the small ginger she-cat.

In the end, the elders' tale taught him more than he had realized that day; the story was not only about forgiving others, but forgiving oneself.


	10. Chapter 10: First Battle!

**Author's Note: Okay, it was a little more than three weeks, but here's your update. I'm sorry it took so long to write this chapter; between AP tests and finals, I had my hands full with schoolwork. Thanks for sticking with this story, even though it took me about three years (it was months, actually XD) to update.**

**Since most of you guys seemed to like the ending of the last chapter, I will leave it as it is; however, I will address some points to hopefully satisfy the rest of you, since this story is for my readers, after all. ;) Read, review and enjoy!**

Chapter Ten: First Battle!

After his apology, Brokenpaw found that he and Deerpaw had reached an uneasy peace. True, they were still not friends, and most likely never would be, but they were trying to keep their outward animosity to a minimum. Many a time in the past, an accidental bumping of shoulders had led to hisses and glares of hatred; now it simply resulted in an annoyed glance. Peace didn't come easily—Brokenpaw's dislike of Deerpaw went far deeper than the acts he had apologized for and forgiven. Moons of taunting in the nursery still weighed on him; hard feelings that could not be shaken off in one day like rainfall on his fur.

Yet a stalemate was preferable over ripping out one another's fur, so they kept it this way. Brokenpaw had a sneaking, gleeful suspicion that Deerpaw was afraid of him. After all, only the dark tabby had reason to lessen his hostility towards his adopted littermate; Deerpaw had heard no such stories of forgiveness and repentance. The smaller tom had even scorned Brokenpaw's apology. But something was keeping him from antagonizing Brokenpaw, something the larger apprentice liked to think of as fear.

Brokenpaw thought about it now as he walked beside his mentor. He and Nightpelt were on border patrol with Deerpaw, Cloudpelt and Nutwhisker. It had been several weeks since his punishment had been lifted; only a few days after he apologized to Deerpaw, Nightpelt had noticed the change in his attitude and repealed the penalty. Now he was happy to be back to his warrior tasks without having to compromise his time with caring for the elders.

"Is there ever any trouble on the border?" Brokenpaw asked Nightpelt. In all the border patrols he had done—at least a dozen—there had always been an unfortunate lack of activity. Once or twice, they had glimpsed rival patrols, but they never came close enough for a fight. He was starting to get bored with patrolling what seemed like abandoned borders.

"Sometimes, but thankfully not often," replied the black tom absently, his thoughtful gaze ahead. After a moment of silence, he glanced at the unresponsive Brokenpaw, amusement in his eyes. "Why? Do you want trouble?"

"Well, no," Brokenpaw admitted. "But it's so _boooring_." His mouth opened in a yawn at his last word, distorting it so that it stretched out for longer than the rest of his sentence. _Or longer than this border patrol is taking_, he thought resentfully, as his jaws snapped shut.

Nightpelt nudged him with an angular shoulder. "My, what a _lazy_ apprentice I have," he remarked ruefully. "Why don't you and Deerpaw go on forward and check out the border if you're so impatient to get there? We'll catch up to you. It'll make a good test."

Pleased to have gotten an assignment, however unremarkable, Brokenpaw bounded off, with Deerpaw trailing after him. The border was only a few fox-lengths ahead of the patrol; it didn't take them long at all to reach the scent markers. At once, both apprentices sensed that something was amiss. Their hackles rose instinctively and the two exchanged an uneasy glance.

_We'll go carefully, _Brokenpaw signaled with a flick of his ears. Deerpaw made no reply, but prowled cautiously forward, Brokenpaw mirroring his movements a few tail-lengths away.

They stopped suddenly as the wind changed direction, blowing a sharp scent into their faces. _WindClan!_ It was clear the border was not where it was supposed to be. Brokenpaw was aware of the several tail-lengths' discrepancy between the previous and current scent markers. Those scrawny rabbit chasers must have decided to take some of ShadowClan's territory, without even a warning or fair challenge to a battle for it! "Those fox-hearts!" he spat aloud.

"We have to do something about it!" meowed Deerpaw determinedly. A common enemy had put them for once in agreement.

"One of us should go back," said Brokenpaw. "You know, to get the others."

Deerpaw eyed him warily, clearly able to tell that the dark tabby was not thinking of going back himself. "Our mentors would kill us if we let the other one go to fight enemy warriors all alone," he said. "Even if it was only for a few heartbeats." _No matter how much it was tempting to let stuffy mouse-brains like you take a beating from enemy warriors, _Brokenpaw thought, but he knew the other apprentice was right.

He lashed his tail and straightened up, trying to look as if he were still in command. "We'll go back then," he said. Deerpaw didn't look pleased about Brokenpaw taking charge, but made no comment as they rushed back to rejoin their patrol. All the while, Brokenpaw was aware of the way his shoulder fur prickled, defensive and aggressive, and the blood rushing in his ears. _How dare anyone trespass on _my _territory?_

The other warriors soon came into sight. "WindClan moved their borders!" he reported, huffing for breath after the sprint.

Nightpelt looked surprised; his hackles began to rise a moment later as the words sunk in. "Show me," he ordered, beckoning to the rest of the patrol with a sweep of his tail.

Brokenpaw led the way back to the border. He watched as his mentor lowered his dark head to sniff the earth carefully. A growl began in Nightpelt's throat, shocking Brokenpaw, who had never seen him this angry. He flicked his ears up suddenly, alerted by the sounds of paw-steps on the soft pine needles that covered the ground, and raised his head, just as a cat strolled out from the hedges, lazily coming to a halt on what should have been ShadowClan territory.

"This land now belongs to WindClan," the newcomer announced, his amber eyes triumphant and mocking. With a fresh wave of rage, Brokenpaw recognized him as Reedfeather, WindClan's deputy. The light brown tabby shifted into a fighting stance, as at least seven other warriors emerged from the foliage to back him up. "Go home, ShadowClan cats, or fight for it."

It only took a moment, and an exchanged glance, for the patrol to make up their minds. Nutwhisker stepped to the front of their group, as the most senior warrior present, and raised his head defiantly. "ShadowClan will never surrender our territory to the likes of fox-hearts like you!" he spat. "We will fight!" And with that, the ShadowClan patrol sprang into battle, lunging towards the trespassing warriors and fighting with the ferocity of tigers.

A tortoiseshell she-cat confronted Brokenpaw almost instantly, lashing out with thorn-sharp claws. Brokenpaw barely managed to leap back in time, the tips of her claws parting the fur on his face. His body reacted before his mind did, spurring him into one of the moves Nightpelt had taught him; he caught his opponent's front leg with a swipe that brought her stumbling to the ground. Letting instinct take over, he pounced, rolling in a fierce grapple with the tortoiseshell. The moment he found his paws again, he kicked out strongly with his hind paws, winding her.

"We're way too outnumbered!" Brokenpaw heard Nightpelt shout from the chaos. _Which means we need backup! _his mind filled in. He whirled towards the nearest cat, which happened to be Deerpaw. _Not the most agreeable cat, but the only one that doesn't surpass me in seniority. _

"Go back to camp and get reinforcements!" he shouted.

"No way!" growled Deerpaw, instantly defensive. "So you can hog all the glory and boast about how you defeated all the WindClan warriors? I don't think so!"

Brokenpaw's eyes stretched wide in disbelief. He hadn't even meant to start a quarrel, but the other apprentice seemed ready to take his words as a challenge. "You're being mouse-brained!" he argued, wrestling with his quickly evaporating patience.

"Oh yeah?" snapped the lighter tom. "If it's so mouse-brained of me, then you go!"

"Stop acting like a kit!" Brokenpaw snapped back. "You know I'm stronger, so get over yourself and make yourself useful!"

Deerpaw's eyes stretched wide, then narrowed. "You want to bet?"

Brokenpaw let out his breath in a huff of impatience. "Just _go_!"

Deerpaw hesitated, looking as if he would like to keep arguing, then scowled, clearly thinking batter of it. "Whatever," he said. "But just so you know, I'm not doing this because you said so. I'm only going because we're going to get pounded in this fight, and _some_ cat has to be responsible!" With that, he bounded off, probably before Brokenpaw could rake off all the fur on his backside. StarClan knew the dark tabby wanted to.

He sighed, frustrated that he hadn't been able to curb his temper. _I'm supposed to be better than this, _he reminded himself. Shaking off his regret—the battlefield was no place for such emotions-, he lunged back into the fight.

A gray and white tom attacked him from the side, bowling him over. Brokenpaw gritted his teeth and slashed the warrior's shoulder with his claws, before struggling free. Almost as soon as they broke apart, the WindClan cat was facing him and going on the offensive, trying to overpower the apprentice. Rolling into a defensive stance, Brokenpaw struggled to parry the blows raining down on him. _He's too fast! _he thought in dismay, as he missed and missed again, feeling sharp strikes on his face and shoulders.

Suddenly, his opponent was thrown off balance, struck by a dark blur. "Need a little help?" It was Nightpelt, bowling over the gray and white tom and forcing him away from Brokenpaw. The dark brown tabby sprang forward to help. Matching blows, they attacked the enemy warrior until he flattened his now-shredded ears and fled with his tail streaming out behind him.

"Nice work," panted Nightpelt, his chest heaving with the effort of driving off the opponent. His face suddenly twisted in pain as he coughed violently. He managed to stay on his paws, but his shoulders hunched as the force of his coughs shook his body.

"Nightpelt!" said Brokenpaw, alarmed. He used his shoulder to support his mentor, guiding him over to the shelter of a nearby pine tree. It was clear that Nightpelt was in no condition to fight; the battle had worn him out too much. Brokenpaw gently lowered the black tom to the ground, his heart pounding anxiously. His mentor shook with racking coughs, his claws raking the earth.

Brokenpaw glanced desperately out at the battle, torn between his loyalty to his mentor and his need to fight. Even with the gray and white tom out of the battle, the ShadowClan warriors were outnumbered, especially with Nightpelt down, Deerpaw off for reinforcements and Brokenpaw standing guard over Nightpelt. Cloudpelt and Nutwhisker fought bravely, but they had begun to falter, only two cats against six.

"Go," said Nightpelt firmly. Brokenpaw turned back to his mentor; he had struggled into a half-sitting position, his back half still splayed out, while his front paws propped him up. His breathing had eased, but his chest still rose and fell rapidly. Seeing Brokenpaw's hesitation, he added, "I'll be fine! The others need your help more."

That was all he needed to hear. With a nod, Brokenpaw whirled and ran back into the fight, hurtling straight into a dark gray she-cat and bowling her over with his momentum. For a moment, it seemed as if he was overpowering her, but she was a clever fighter. With a quick lash, she swept his back paws out from underneath him and darted under him as he tripped, slashing his belly as she streaked away to attack Nutwhisker. The older tom was already struggling to fight off both a dark ginger tom and Reedfeather, who were slashing at him from both sides.

Brokenpaw leapt to his paws and streaked after the gray she-cat. _I have to get to her before she ends him!__He'll never be able to fight three cats at once! _ Desperation drove his paws, the adrenaline racing through his veins empowering him. Gaining on his opponent, he pounced on her shoulders, sending her stumbling to the ground with a yowl of shock. The two of them tumbled head over tail, claws digging painfully in as they struggled.

Brokenpaw felt a powerful blow force them apart, and his heart seemed to freeze. _StarClan help me! _ He was an apprentice; as much natural talent as he had, he wouldn't stand a chance against two fully trained warriors.

But as he straightened to his paws, he recognized the dark brown tabby that was hurling away the gray she-cat and whirling to battle the ginger tom that picked on Nutwhisker. _Raggedpelt!_He blinked the blood and sweat out of his eyes, ecstatic to see Russetfur, Blackfoot, Hollyflower and Cedarstar himself pouring into the clearing, followed a moment later by Deerpaw. The ShadowClan reinforcements had arrived!

"How dare you invade ShadowClan territory?" demanded Cedarstar, his eyes flashing, as he confronted Reedfeather.

"It's our territory now!" the WindClan deputy hissed, his tail lashing.

"Not while I rule ShadowClan!" Cedarstar shot back. The powerful gray leader lunged at Reedfeather and sent him tumbling backwards as the fight resumed.

"Are you alright?" Raggedpelt asked, appearing at Brokenpaw's side.

"Fine!" he exclaimed, practically glowing. His injuries no longer seemed to hurt now that he knew his Clan held the advantage.

Raggedpelt nodded to a dusky brown tom in front of them. "Then let's take him together."

Father and son attacked their enemy together, lashing at the WindClan warrior from either side. Raggedpelt threw his weight on the tom's shoulders, while Brokenpaw darted in to knock the cat's paws out from underneath him. "Nice!" said Raggedpelt as their opponent crashed to the ground with a yowl. The ShadowClan deputy pinned him, holding him down so Brokenpaw could box his ears and give him a nasty bite on the tail. Yowling in pain, the brown tom cringed away.

"We got him!" Brokenpaw said in delight, as Raggedpelt let him up and the tom streaked away. He turned to survey the battlefield. There were two ShadowClan cats for every WindClan warrior, gang attacking with expert moves. Nutwhisker and Blackfoot bullied the dark gray she-cat, while Russetfur and Hollyflower tag-teamed the tortoiseshell Brokenpaw had fought at the beginning of the battle. Deerpaw and Cloudpelt worked together to overpower a white tom, whose pale pelt was streaked with blood and grime from the battle. Cedarstar grappled with Reedfeather, both toms exchanging vicious blows. Thinking back, Brokenpaw remembered the gray and white tom he and Nightpelt had thrashed, and the dusky brown tom he and Raggepelt had just bested. _So, where's the last cat…?_

Almost as soon as the thought the words, a gray-black tom came pounding out of the bushes, more cats streaming out behind him. _He must have gone for his own reinforcements! _Brokenpaw realized, his heart sinking in dread.

"We have to keep fighting!" mewed Raggedpelt grimly from beside him. The deputy turned and threw himself back into the fray, vanishing from Brokenpaw's sight.

Brokenpaw rejoined the battle, hurling himself into the chaos. He became a mindless fighter, barely stopping to see who his enemies were, only making sure that they weren't his own Clanmates. _Not a ShadowClan cat… that's the dark gray she-cat from before… oops, I can't attack Nutwhisker… I don't know him… Ouch, these WindClan cats are better than I would have thought!_

He sent a bracken-colored tom fleeing into the bushes on his own, then teamed up with Blackfoot to defeat the dark-gray she-cat from before, forcing her to retreat this time. He was aware of Nutwhisker driving off the dark ginger tom on one side and Raggedpelt dealing the winning blow to a brown tabby a moment later on the other.

At last, Brokenpaw heard a yowl of retreat. His gaze flashing up, he saw that Reedfeather was standing in a defensive posture, his head lowered in grudging defeat. "You may have won this time, but at a cost," the WingClan deputy snarled, rage and satisfaction glowing like twin flames in his eyes. He jerked his head towards a cat somewhere Brokenpaw couldn't see over the other warriors' shoulders. "We will be back, and next time, we will not be defeated so easily!" With that, he turned away and fled, his Clanmates streaming behind him.

_That's right, run away, you cowards! _Brokenpaw thought, giving a triumphant yowl after them. It took him a moment to realize that none of his Clanmates had joined in; instead, he heard ripples on anxiety and concern. Something had happened. The meaning of the deputy's words sank in: _At a cost… Great StarClan, we can't have lost one of our warriors… could we?_

Brokenpaw shouldered his way through the crowd that had gathered, a horrible sinking feeling in his chest. He only caught a glimpse of a gray shape sprawled out on the ground before his father intercepted him, his amber eyes burning with worry. "Go get Yellowfang," Raggedpelt ordered. "Tell her Cedarstar's been badly wounded."

…

Brokenpaw looked on, feeling numb, as Yellowfang took charge of the situation the moment they returned to the clearing, ordering the warriors to assess their wounds and take care of the minor ones immediately. Then she beckoned Brokenpaw over with her tail.

"Are you badly injured?" she asked. Her voice was steady, with a calmness that only an experienced medicine cat possessed, but he could see the worry in her eyes.

"No," he replied, standing tall; the only wound that hurt him was the one on his belly, but it was shallow and would heal on its own. His mind buzzed with too many troubled feelings to be concerned about himself anyway.

"Good," she said, some of her visible tension fading. "I want you to help Runningpaw treat the others."

"Really? But I don't have training," Brokenpaw protested, eyes wide.

"You know enough from helping me," Yellowfang said firmly. "Ask Runningpaw if you don't know something. Do you hear me?" Her orange gaze, fixed steadfastly on his own, left no room for argument. Brokenpaw nodded mutely. "Now go; I need to treat Cedarstar."

Brokenpaw crossed the battlefield to where Runningpaw was treating Nightpelt, some part of him glad that Yellowfang still found use in his help, the other half screaming that Cedarstar must be really bad for Yellowfang to devote her full efforts to him. "Yellowfang asked me to help you," he told the other apprentice, pushing his worry to the back of his mind.

Runningpaw nodded, avoiding his gaze. Brokenpaw felt a pang of satisfaction that the smaller tom was still scared of him, before shoving it away as he realized that their rivalry must be put aside if they wanted to help their Clan. He promised himself to extend forgiveness to the cat who had replaced him as Yellowfang's assistant, if they could get through this day.

The two of them worked together in silent unity, functioning as a team. The only times they spoke was to ask one another for a certain herb, or to inquire about a certain cat's condition as they crossed paths. Their busy work left little room for conversing, let alone argument. Even as they worked together to treat an individual, the anxiety buzzing in their minds absorbed the half of their conscious that was not dedicated to their efforts.

At last, all the injuries had been treated. Runningpaw and Brokenpaw exchanged a glance, wondering if they should see how Yellowfang was doing. Neither one came up with an answer, so they sat silently together, watching their medicine cat try to heal their leader.

"Is it his last life?" Brokenpaw asked Runningpaw, breaking the silence for a moment as he remembered the medicine cats' ability to tell how many their leader had left.

"I think so," replied Runningpaw, his voice hushed.

After what seemed like moons, Yellowfang straightened up and turned away from Cedarstar. Her face was exhausted, and her eyes defeated. "Fetch Raggedpelt," she said to Brokenpaw. He knew what her next words would be before she said them.

"Cedarstar is dead."


End file.
